Whose heart?

I lie tethered to the machine with cables and cold electrodes, watching the technician—gentle, her hands warmed—measure and monitor my cardiac function. A virus has triggered a weeks-long fight-or-flight response and I am anxious.  

She turns up the audio so I can hear it. My own heartbeat.

Suddenly, I’m awash with affection. That humble organ has been beating steadily every day and night for over six decades, sustaining life without fanfare or even thanks. I am so proud of it. “You go, Heart!” I cheer. The technician glances over with a smile.  

I’m reminded of another ultrasound, years ago. The heartbeat cocooned inside me isn’t my own. Fast and eager, it belongs to another. One who will separate and grow into a new being. Distinct. Independent. Carrying my heart with her.

But now, Someone else lives within me, so the promise says. One who will never leave. One whose sole mission—soul mission—is to synchronize my heartbeat with his. Whose cupped hands hold my essence, my psyche, my future.  

The same maestro who conducts the cadence of my physical heart lives to transform the spiritual one, as well. Filling. Challenging. Renewing. Completing.

I breathe, calm.

The pulse of my body will one day cease. But for now, all is well as I lean back into the strong and sure embrace of Love.