“We met in our forties. We’d both been in long-term...

“We met in our forties. We’d both been in long-term relationships that didn’t work out. And the number one thing I was looking for was kindness. I saw that in Heather right away. She was very interested in my life. Right after we started dating, she bought me a card, to congratulate me for something that happened at work. She took the time to put these little gold stars all over the envelope. It was completely covered. That’s the kind of person she is. Over the last twelve years I’ve seen it again and again. She’s the first one to donate to somebody’s fundraiser. She’s the first one to promote somebody else’s thing on social media. Every holiday season she bakes cookies and brings them to the post office, just so the workers know that somebody cares. These last few years she’s been working full-time on a nonprofit she cofounded. It’s called AhHaBroadway, and her goal is to bring performing arts education to underserved individuals. They’ve done some great programs, but she’s having a tough time with it. There have been a lot of setbacks. She’s gotten some bad advice. And even though she’s showed up for so many people, a lot of them aren’t showing up for her. Recently she couldn’t get enough donations for her fundraiser, so she gave away some artwork from her own collection. Just so there’d be something to auction. I want to step in and fix things: recruit board members, or donors, or whatever. But I also know she needs to do it herself. So I’m just trying to be supportive. It’s been hard to watch her cry through the disappointments. This is the most important thing I’ve ever seen be important to her, and I really want her to succeed. Because I love her. But also because I never want her to lose faith in the goodness of the world. There’s only so much a person can give without getting back, until they say: ‘Why am I still doing this?’ There’s a lot of Heathers out there. And whenever someone like that loses their spirit, we all lose. The world loses. Heather isn’t there yet. There’s still some charge left in that battery. And I know the moment she catches the smallest break, it’s going to recharge instantly. I’ve seen it again and again. That’s who she is.”