HAPPY SECOND SUBSTACK ANNIVERSARY TO US!
Two Years on Substack + What This Little Writing Experiment Has Gifted To My Life
Hi there, friends!
If you’re just discovering Heart’s Content, we are celebrating our second anniversary here on Substack! In February of 2022, I launched this little Substack experiment, and holy cow, look at us now!
I know many online spaces are vying for your attention, so the fact that you take the time to connect with me feels truly special.
I thought we might take a quick moment to acknowledge how far this little community has come in the last year.
First, some stats: How We’ve Grown
Heart’s Content has 538 free subscribers and 26 paid subscribers.
It is currently read across 37 States and a total of 20 countries worldwide. Say what?
Most of our traffic comes from within the Substack Network, but we also have people popping in from Instagram, Facebook, and beyond.
No matter how you found your way here, I’m grateful to you. Whether you’re a regular or an occasional reader, your presence here makes this community such a beautiful space to be and I want you to know that I appreciate every single one of you! Thank you!
It’s our 2nd Anniversary of Heart’s Content! During our anniversary month, become a paid subscriber and you’ll get 20% off an annual subscription!
Why I created this newsletter
My discovery of Substack coincided with a time when I longed for space to write and share my writing online, free of algorithms and word count limits. I wanted to create a more intentional community and I hoped intuitively that the more consistently I wrote, the more I might strengthen my writing and the more courageous I would become in sharing it. I wasn’t someone who had studied to be a writer. I studied theatre, so this was a learn-as-you-go endeavor. Weekly accountability would help me build a steady practice and keep me writing because I knew there was a larger writing project looming on the horizon. I also knew that if I wrote weekly for a year, themes would begin to emerge in my writing. Voila! Enter Heart’s Content!
But let me back up for a moment.
Before I decided to write the weekly newsletter in 2022, I dedicated a year to exploring, writing, and healing stories from my early childhood. As I wrote in my very first newsletter, I devoted 2021 to the deep healing work of revisiting parts of my life I had long avoided. From that work, I began writing short stories and scenes based on my memories. My original intention was to continue to write those stories privately and to use this newsletter as an opportunity to share my current experiences and what I was learning through the curriculum of my daily life.
In March of 2022, I wrote: “Everything I am experiencing right now is saying, TELL YOUR STORY. It shows up in meditation time, my journals, conversations, morning pages, prayers, and collages. There is no avoiding it.”
In February of 2023, I shifted my writing practice and changed the frequency of this free newsletter to twice a month with a third bonus email to my paid subscribers. In that monthly email, I began sharing some of my early story drafts. I also share my tools, processes, highlights, and recommendations for the month. This led to announcing publicly that I was writing a book. That was a big step for someone like me who had not studied writing. I studied theater.
Cut to February of 2024: I’ve spent the past year sharing with you the ups and downs of this memoir writing process, in hopes that it might support your recovery, writing, and healing practices. I began writing THE MEMOIR NOTES, nested inside Heart’s Content, and I shared the rollercoaster of emotions, tools, and help I discovered along the way. I also changed my online habits and spent far less time on social media. I’m still present there, just not as frequently.
As of Jan 29, 2024, I am amazed to share that I have indeed completed the first draft of the “ book before the book.” In essence, I have written through the memories I initially set out to put on paper. This was the actual healing journey that mattered most to me. So in truth, I have done what I set out to do in 2021 - The Year of Healing. It took me two years to get to this point and I am exceedingly grateful to be standing here, looking out at an open sky of new possibility and hope.
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR 2024
Now that the book before the book has been written, I am beginning to consider how I will take my next steps to craft an actual manuscript for a reader. While I still have much to learn, I now have a story bank of stories to choose from and connective threads of themes. It’s empowering to say the least.
But again, let’s not run ahead and miss the main point - the undeniable gift lies in the process itself. It cannot be overstated. The real work of healing came though the willingness and the courage to look back at these memories and to face, feel, and write these stories. That process has been life-changing.
So….thank you. I did not do this work alone, ever. You are there reading and cheering me on in the process. My family and close friends keep me loved up. And Spirit holds me every step of the way.
DURING OUR ANNIVERSARY MONTH YOU SAVE 20 % ON AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
For our loyal paid subscribers and founding members: I will continue to share some of my personal stories in development with our private community. I’ll also share the creative tools and healing approaches I use to navigate this creative-spiritual process of writing to heal your story. Additionally, you receive discounts for any of my courses or offerings, as well as my private one-to-one Creative-Spiritual Soul Sessions.
I am elated to be here in this space with you all and I am grateful to each of you for following, sharing, commenting, and reading along with me. Some of you have even gifted a paid subscription to a friend - thank you! This Heart’s Content community with you is one of the best online community experiences I’ve ever had, and I plan to continue for many years to come. I hope to keep learning how to share and support your journey by being transparent with mine.
Much love,
xo Mary
A FEW THINGS TO SHARE:
It’s Fat Tuesday, so let the good times roll! I hope you get a chance to eat some Louisiana food and gobble some King Cake. This year, I decided to try my hand at making homemade MoonPies. Not familiar with the classic, packaged kind thrown from Mardi Gras floats? Check out the history here. These homemade MoonPies were easy to make and delicious. Here’s the Recipe. Be sure to watch the video demonstration attached to the recipe, she’s adorable.
I forgot the baking soda in the cookies but they were still scrumptious.
Cheer yourself on. Give yourself a heart this Valentine’s Day.
Each year in Loveland, Colorado, street lights get decorated with oversized hearts bearing messages of love all over the city! It's an annual fundraiser and if you don't order yours in December, they are sold out before the new year! Who thinks about Valentine's Day in the middle of December? Not this gal. But this year I made my own! Voila!
A wish for you this month
If you love Albert Brooks like we do , you’ll love this documentary, Defending My Life. Not only will you enjoy Brooks’ take on some classic moments, but the shared friendship and camaraderie between Brooks and Reiner is priceless.
This month a portion of our paid subscriptions goes to: Human Animal Bond in Colorado.
“Our Mission: Improving the quality of life for people of all ages through the therapeutic benefits of companion animals. HABIC is part of Colorado State University’s School of Social Work. HABIC trains and supports human-animal volunteer teams and student volunteers for community engagement programs.
I hope you’ll keep in touch and share a comment below. If you are more comfortable responding privately, simply reply to this email. Either way, I’ll get back to you. Thank you for reading!
© Copyright 2024 by Mary Thoma
All rights reserved
I love that you call God Amma. Amma in Tamil means Mom. That’s what I call my mom ❤️🌺
Congratulations, Mary! And thank you so much for engaging in this writing experiment - it's a wonderful gift to all of us who are part of this community! Hugs!