About Me

hey there!

hi i’m cynthia, it’s so nice to meet you

If this is your first visit to Hearthside Graces, then welcome. I’m Cynthia. I’m the author here. I hope you’re comfortable because the plan is for you to scroll in and stay a while. I’m a wife and mom, Christian, and new writer. I’ve worked in fashion retail, photography, modeling, and administration — along with a variety of other jobs. I also live with several chronic illnesses (which isn’t always fun), but most aren’t glaringly visible.

So why this blog? “If you want to tell people how to live, write a book.” This was the advice I received from my mother when I informed her I was returning to college to study theology. I love my mother, but like many children, I don’t always take my mom’s advice. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in religion, I tried answering my call to pastoral ministry. When that didn’t work out as I had hoped, I decided to write instead. After some stops and starts, here I am. I like to converse. Here is where you’ll find me doing just that — about faith, Scripture, travel, what we might miss seeing in the daily grind, and a variety of other things that come to mind.

My outlook is that life’s just too short to live it miserably. Why would you? I want to find a way to live in joy and to share that joy. An extension of that outlook is my feeling that we shouldn’t make things harder on ourselves than is necessary (try to wrap your head around that when thinking about the suffering of Christ). So I love that the joy we find in God makes our journey in life more fulfilled and full of love. That doesn’t mean I have a delightful plan laid out or a pack of tips and tricks. I definitely won’t set out a plate of grapes, place an upended plate on top, and magically slice all the grapes in half. That’s a cool trick, but grapes aren’t all very large so I just put the whole thing into the salad and be done with it, dude. My tips and tricks will be a little . . . more scriptural.

I’m also a small business owner. I own a direct sales business with dōTERRA, an essential oils company. I truly believe essential oils help with mood, mental health, and can help with some health issues. I’ll share some information regarding essential oil use. And, of course, I’ll be posting a lot about faith, Scripture, exegesis, and more. You already know I love dōTERRA (if I didn’t love the products, I wouldn’t use them) and when I find other products I actually use and love I will share them with you. I don’t believe in hoarding all the cool info to myself. I don’t receive any compensation for recommending any products. None of my opinions are paid. If that changes, you’ll be the second to know (after me).

My hope is that when you’re here, you’ll find “me” in a blog and a bit of “you,” too. Friendly, informative, quirky, loving, confident – those are the words I hope you will use to describe this blog when you share it with friends. And maybe tell them that I’m just another human being calmly tap dancing through the mosh pit of life.

this is my why

I love God. Three little words that change the direction of your life when you admit and commit to them. It’s an amazing transformation that requires tending. Earlier Christians called it “attending to the means of grace.” My grandmother was a devoted practitioner and a devout Baptist. She ensured that I knew Jesus loved me, that Satan was always going to tempt me, and that I needed to mind my ps and qs. Respect went a long way with her.

My grandmother started me out on my journey to why. She wanted to see me in heaven with her and never missed an opportunity to talk with me about it. I went to church with her whenever we were visiting, read the Bible with her daily, and received my first New Testament from her for my fifth birthday. My grandmother latched on to teach me faith and never let go.

Which takes us to my why. I believe no one can force someone else to become a Christian (or any other faith). If you use fear tactics or intimidation to force someone to convert then that conversion isn’t sincere. My why involves helping seekers get to know God without pressuring them or scaring them. Learning who God is can be frightening enough. We hear Him calling to us and we respond. It’s our choice whether to accept or decline (free will). My hope is to help women make the choice to accept and to engage in conversation to build the depth of their commitment.

we may be soul sisters if

We laugh so much at our "in jokes" when we're out running errands that other women stop us to ask what's so funny
we celebrate each other's successes as our own. we see ourselves as a team, helping each other and rooting each other to achieve
We know it doesn't matter if the house isn't picture perfect when we stop by without calling first. Or knocking. We just head on in shouting "Hello? anybody home?"
We text or call each other - sometimes even before our spouses - to share exciting news. oops!