through heart disease, diabetes and parkinson's disease, the authors, catherine flinn and bradley noland have experienced humanity's pain. the book, gifts of the heart, meditations on a healing journey, contains words of wisdom, inspired by their own healing journeys, which opens doors to hope, joy and newfound peace. these blessings are gifts beyond measure. the poetry, prose and prayer included in gifts of the heart, meditations on a healing journey helps to bring all people closer to god, and help them listen to the still, quiet voice within. the heart is the source of one's own deep wisdom, and if listened to, healing can begin. no one is ever in the same place from day to day, and the beauty of the messages within this book addresses this. by remaining in the present moment, and allowing all feelings to surface so they can be fully felt, greater awareness takes place. to experience love, longing, sadness, pain, joy or fear is to be fully human. to understand that these feelings are the messages of the body takes time. with every feeling are wondrous messages that the body, mind and spirit can understand if listened to. listening to these feelings with our heart creates personal healing of the whole individual. these pages are written from the heart to help those listen to their own.