The Author

Patricia Hetherington is a writer, gardener and fibre artist. She holds a Masters of Education degree in Counselling and has developed courses on spiritual growth for 25 years. Her prize-winning art is a uniquely personal way of engaging with the inner life. She lives with her daughter on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.

A Personal Note

You may ask, “What qualifies me to write about 'A Woman's Journey from Futile to Fertile?'”

First, I am a woman; secondly, I have travelled this journey; and thirdly, I am a counsellor and I love the inner life — the realm of dreams, symbols, metaphor, myth & meaning.

So I write — NOT as an outsider but as an insider observing and living through this story of intense change from futile to fertile. During times of transition our attention is pulled inward; we are called to descend into the murky depths of our own being — to face the fears, the silence and the isolation therein … but also to encounter our own soul.

The Winter Gardener is a metaphorical figure; she personifies and speaks as the Soul Self — often at odds with the ego's messages and values. How does she speak? Through our longings, impulses and intuitions … by urging, imploring and insisting.

A Colleague's Note

Donna Schmirler MA, RCC introduces Patricia at her book launch.
March 28, 2007. Gibsons, BC.

Good evening friends and fans of Patricia Hetherington.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity this evening to introduce you to Patricia and her new book, “The Winter Gardener: A Woman's Journey from Futile to Fertile.” In order to do this, I'd like to tell you:

1. About how we met;
2. Our friendship and my impressions of Patricia;
3. about the back story/context for the book.

My friendship with Patricia began a few years before the life events that are chronicled in “The Winter Gardener.” I think, in the beginning, it seemed an unlikely friendship. On the surface she was so NOT ME. She (as my mother would say) was well-turned out, so polished and glamorous, right down to her beautiful, manicured bright red fingernails; always very articulate and poised. I have to admit that I was quite awestruck by her.

But, at the time, we were both recently separated; both single parents of a small child; both counsellors; both curious and stressed about what was going to happen next in our romantic lives; both in a major grief/loss and transformative life process. So, we had some important common ground as a jumping off place for our friendship.

In fairly short order, however, I began to see so much more in Patricia that lay beyond her surface presentation. I will attempt to summarize some of my impressions and I would like to note that I think you will see many of these qualities in her writing — as she processes her personal journey and expresses her interior experience.

1. First off, Patricia is adventuresome and bold; she has a lust for living and a curiosity about life that is hard to match. She has made a courageous commitment to live as wide and rich a life as she possibly can.
2. Next, Patricia is on an ongoing search for meaning, for truth, for wholeness and healing. She searches for all these things herself and is not afraid to nurture others in their search. She has definitely encouraged me to search deeper and to live my life in a bigger and more whole way. And she has been there to celebrate my journey with me and bear witness to my tears and my joys.
3. Another quality I would like to highlight about Patricia is her keen intelligence. She is extremely well-read and is a good integrator of words/ideas with body and spirit. She has read more books than I will ever have time to read… I can go to her and ask about a book and she is able to give me an accurate distilled version and she will have already integrated it with ideas from other books and her own ideas. Words are very important to Patricia and she has a special love and talent for finding the best words to describe the mood, the context or the internal experience. Through my friendship with her, I have come to realize my own love of words, especially my love of a good question!!
4. Lastly, I have observed that Patricia has been working her heart; exploring its many chambers and corners; layers and textures. She has been working hard on the question “How do I Love?”

All of these qualities which Patricia embodies in her own unique “Patricia-ness” have had a great impact on me over the last decade. She has mentored me in my own soul's journey and has nurtured me to live and love creatively and with heart.

To me, writing seems to me to be a very private, intimate, self-focused activity. Most writers are shy about sharing their writing, especially in the early stages, and especially if their words are autobiographical rather than fiction, and especially if they are bringing a woman's voice to the writing.

I think we can all appreciate the courage in the midst of vulnerability it took for Patricia to bring forth this book. As I connected with Patricia during the writing I concluded that writing was not for the faint of heart. At one point, early on, her computer crashed and she lost all her words, about a year's worth of writing. That would have finished me right there, but Patricia kept right on going. I would have to say that she was called to write — driven and compelled to write about her experience, as a way to highlight and reflect on her learning.

I take it as a very friendly gesture that she wants to share this wisdom with the rest of us. I think it speaks to a generosity of spirit which is at the core of Patricia and is one of the key reasons she has been so influential in my life and continues to be a mentor, a guide and a dear friend.

That being said, I give you Patricia Hetherington and “The Winter Gardener.”

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