Why Great Heart?
What is Great Heart?
A Great Heart is an inspiration, a thing to hunger after, and to emulate. One who's morals, convictions, passions, vision, and values are so deep they are an anchor, a North Star, for everyone around them. We hope you too find your "Great Heart"!
Building Together
In 2019, we found ourselves strong and confident in our separate lives, yet searching for something more to share with the world. Upon meeting, we were instant soulmates, each of us knowing we had found in one another that person who would support the other and share in all of life's offerings. We established our "farm" (just chickens at the time) in 2020 just before the pandemic and spent much of the year learning our animals and dreaming of expansions.
Our farm is located on Hartwood Road in Stafford County. The mostly wooded property is an ever-evolving hope and dream at the edge of the sky, starting with our name, both a play on words and an ode to the late, great Jimmy Buffett. The song 'Great Heart' describes the crazy world around us, cheerfully exclaiming anyone can make it through life alone, but understanding life is better when shared with loved ones.
At Great Heart Woods, our family has grown and learned about our animals, life, faith, and family through our endeavors to grow the farm. We currently have chickens, goats, rabbits, and sheep that contribute with eggs, milk, and fiber, and a couple dogs and cats who don't add much aside from the love they give. Our four girls share in the chores and spoil the animals with sweetness. 'Great Heart' contains Zulu lyrics that translate to "body grows old, heart stays young." Anyone with a farm can attest to the truth of those words as they relate to the work needed to keep the farm alive.
As we support one another, we have grown in the community as well. Life is more than any one person and we value and cherish our friendships and neighbors. The Great Heart lyrics include that "your life is a story like the wind." We seek to bring others the joy we have found in each other and in our farm while we are here, and hope that we can inspire other great hearts around the world to unite and spread faith, love, and farming.
