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Heidi Hess Saxton is editor of “Canticle” magazine and adoptive
parent columnist at
CatholicMom.com and
CatholicExchange.com. Prior to becoming Catholic in 1994, she graduated
from Bethany College of Missions (Bachelor of Missions and Theology, 1987)
and Azusa Pacific University (B.A. in International Studies and
Communications, 1991); she has since completed graduate studies at Sacred
Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
Heidi’s faith journey has taken her all over the world, including
Senegal (West Africa), Poland, and Mexico. She has also been active in a
variety of Christian churches: Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian,
non-denominational, Assemblies of God, Episcopalian, and Catholic. The
diversity of her Christian experience is reflected in her writing, giving
her faith expression a vitality and relevance that appeals to truth seekers
of all ages and backgrounds. Married in summer 1999, Heidi and her husband
Craig adopted their two foster children in 2005. They live in Milan,
Michigan.
Heidi is a prolific blogger. Her newest blog, “Behold Your
Mother” (http://beholdyourmotherbook.blogspot.com)
features a variety of stories, images, and quotes about Mary from all over
the world. She also writes for adoptive parents (http://mommymonsters.blogspot.com)
and Catholic writers (http://heidihesssaxton.blogspot.com).
When asked how she got started writing, Heidi recalls …
It’s almost a rite of passage, the moment we first turn to someone (usually
a grown-up) and declare: "I want to be a _____".
The possibilities are endless: teacher, or doctor, or ballerina, or (if you
were particularly precocious), maybe even computer tycoon. I once knew a M.K.
(missionary kid) who wanted to live in a harem, sitting around in pretty
clothes all day and eating peeled grapes.
Of course, the adult on the receiving end of this solemn pronouncement will
usually smile smugly and pat the kid on the head, knowing that most of us
change our minds a thousand times or more before we actually decide (or
stumble upon) our grown-up vocation.
I was no exception. My aspirations as a writer first surfaced in the middle
of seventh grade English, when my teacher caught me scribbling something
other than sentence diagrams inside my notebook. "What are you doing?" he
demanded (not too sternly; truth be told I was a bit of a teacher’s pet).
"I want to be a writer," I mumbled.
"What do you want to write about?"
"You know, about life. Love stories."
The class tittered, and poor Mr. Burke turned a little red. "Fine. Be a
writer. Just don’t do it in my class." And with that, he resumed his
lecture.
Years later, when I had graduated from high school, I again faced the
question of what I wanted to be. I made several false starts: computer
scientist, teacher, missionary, editor, human resources professional, even
travel agent. Standardized testing was no help – imagine my Baptist parents’
pleasure at finding that I had the interest profile of a nun.
Eventually, I landed in the publishing world and met a lot of interesting
people and fixed a lot of run-on sentences and incoherent paragraphs. But I
never forgot my first love: storytelling.
In my two new books, “Behold Your Mother” and “Raising Up Mommy,”
I have enjoyed the opportunity to tell stories that will both engage and
enlighten. I do not approach writing as an “expert” in any particular field
– only one who is, like my readers, stumbling around and searching for
light. It is my prayer that on some level these stories will connect with
you in some small way.
And Mr. Burke, if you’re reading this, I hope that after reading
a story or two, you won’t mind so much that your "prize pupil" couldn’t
diagram a sentence for all the money in the world.
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