Open Hearts Family

The Open Hearts Family

I WANTED TO WRITE THIS BOOK BECAUSE “FAMILY” TO ME IS more than genetic. Fortunately, my genetic family is extraordinary, and we are very close—probably because post-WWII our parents were so grateful to have us and to be safe and alive.

But “family” is more than genetics. It’s about the moments we have in life when we touch or are touched by another in times of adversity or challenge—when we open our hearts and souls and trust one another with our deepest feelings. These people become our sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers. They are our Open Hearts Family, the ones who share a special bond with us. It can be anyone, even an animal that brings peace and love into our lives.

This book celebrates not only the traditional family unit that our birth provides, but also the unexpected families that we create from the people we open our hearts to as we journey through life. Within these pages you’ll read stories by me, contributions from those touched by the message of Open Hearts, and words of wisdom from some of the great thinkers of history. When we open our hearts, our family grows; so do we . . . and so can the world.

— Jane Seymour

Born Into Love

To be born into a loving family is the most wonderful gift that any of us could wish for. Within the safety of its shelter, we are able to experiment and discover our strengths and weaknesses and to develop our spiritual, intellectual, and artistic expressions of self in an atmosphere of love, belonging, and tolerance. Through the wisdom passed onto our parents by their parents and ancestors we learn the lessons we need to live our lives fully and positively, and to try to make ourselves—and the world—a better place.

— Jane Seymour

A Mother’s Moment

Before she ever had children of her own, my mother Mieke was inspired by the women she cared for in a concentration camp in Java during World War II. It was a terrible place where the sickest were sent to die. The water was unclean, dirty bandages were reduced to rags, and there was no medicine or antiseptic. Tirelessly, my mother went among her patients trying to make them comfortable; kind words and a listening ear her only resources.

She became very close to one woman in particular who had a terrible cancer in her lower back. Her suffering was immense, but she gained strength at the thought of being reunited with her children. One day the woman asked an inexperienced nurse for a mirror, quickly used it to look at her wound, lost all hope, and died.

Overwhelmed by helplessness and despair, starved and exhausted by her own struggle to stay alive, Mummy took to her bed. Heartbroken, she had lost all hope, her youthful optimism destroyed by the realities of war. The Matron came to see her and demanded she get up and carry on. It was a pivotal moment: Would she succumb to her feelings of grief and helplessness or stand up for love and be of service to others?

My mother chose the latter, and from that moment on she looked for the positive in life, and determined that should she survive, she would become a mother herself and teach her children how to love.

— Jane Seymour

Masterpiece

The family is one of

nature’s masterpieces.

— George Santayana

Shining Light

EVEN THOUGH THE FAMILY I WAS BORN INTO WAS WROUGHT with abuse, I did have one shining light: my great grandmother. She was full of love and all things proper, polite, lovely, and decent—and I remember that she always wore her beautiful silver bracelet. I am ever fortunate to have my own family now. This breathtaking painting is of my beautiful children, and my favorite part is my daughters’ charm bracelets. An armful of silver bracelets has become my signature, and my most treasured is the one I inherited from my great grandmother—it is a constant reminder of her love.

— Laura Anne Harlan