a shell heart…photo by Norma Thatcher
Hearts…they’re everywhere. A stock photo site I use brings up nearly 5000 possible choices. Facebook attaches a heart to a post you say you love. Over a million heart shapes are used online every day.
We see hearts in cloud configurations and in rock shapes.
Heart in a rock by Casey Horner on Unsplash
Baristas may add a foam heart as a finishing touch to your latte. And sometimes we even find a heart-shaped donut hole!
Heart in a donut hole, courtesy of Charles (Duck) Unitas
There are 122 million sites for heart emojis. That’s where I learned that there are heart emojis for
❥a bullet point as I’m doing here
❥a breaking heart
❥a revolving heart
❥a sparkling heart
❥a smiling cat face with heart-shaped eyes, etc., etc., etc.
But hearts are serious too.
When I cannot physically be with someone who is hurting—whether they’re feeling down, ill, immersed in grief, lonely, or otherwise distressed, I tell them, “I’m holding you close in heart.”
These aren’t idle words; I really mean them. I have my own physical object that represents holding someone close in heart.
The picture at the top of this post shows one side of a shell that looks like half a heart. Below is the opposite side. To me, it’s a perfect replica of a heart which has gathered someone in an embrace and is holding them close.
photo by Norma Thatcher
Life is no simple deal. It’s not always easy. People we love get sick. They disappoint us with their actions. Sometimes they stop loving us back. And people we love die.
Right now someone you know is hurting. They need to hear you say that you’re holding them close in your heart.
Speak up; don’t wait for tomorrow. Make the call, send the card, go for the visit.
And now you know when you hear me say, “I’m holding you close in my heart,” that I really mean it.
An aside: You have my permission to copy and paste or print any of my personal photos used in today’s post for any kind purpose.
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Interesting article on the plural of “emoji”
Everything you wanted to know about heart emojis but were afraid to ask
Thank you, Norma. This is especially poignant right now for me. My heart hurts right now. It is how I know where the saying, “My heart is broken “
comes from. Bob and I are going through a very serious crisis with our son, Nate , again, right now.
I have felt this way before due to his chronic problems . I know you also have a broken heart.
Sometime we will share, but this is not the time.
But thank you????
I am so sorry to hear this, Ellen. May I call you tomorrow to talk? For now, yes, know that I’m holding you close in my heart.
Dear Ellen, I do not know you, but just would like to post a little encouragement for you to keep hope, and keep faith! <3
Part of a favorite poem of mine: “And when your heart is breaking, just remember, that other hearts are sadder than your own.” Sometimes that is hard to remember. So, Ellen, there are a lot of people keeping you close to their hearts, even though we don’t know you personally.