Be still, my heart!
Ever hear someone use that phrase? Ever speak those words yourself? This idiom can be used in a variety of ways—in moments of delight, surprise, excitement, or infatuation. Oftentimes, however, I use this phrase sarcastically. (What? Me sarcastic? Guilty as charged.) When faced with something that is unattractive or not to my liking, I’m apt to say: Be still, my heart. It’s more likely than not that I will also roll my eyes, frown, and shake my head during these unpleasant occasions.
Be still, my heart. There’s that word still again. If you read my January 2026 website blog post, you already know that for this entire calendar year each and every one of my blogs will feature the word, still in some form or fashion. For February, the word will be used in our discussion of love.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and we all know what that means—chocolate candy, flowers, cards, dinner reservations, a sappy Hallmark movie.
Or o
ne could enjoy a still, quiet evening at home and read a great love story—from the Bible.
The Bible records some epic romantic scenes. My favorites couples from the Old Testament include Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and Ruth. But I suppose my top pick from the Bible is the tender love story of Joseph and Mary in the New Testament.
As I read these classics, I can’t help but wonder what the Biblical lovebirds were thinking the first time they saw each other. Did one, or maybe all, of them say: Be still, my heart? (In Hebrew, of course.)
Have you ever read the Old Testament book, Ruth? Now, that’s a great love story. It’s a short book (only four chapters), but man, does it ever pack a punch in just a few words! Having read this book a dozen or so times, I think I can safely infer that when Boaz first spotted Ruth gleaning crops in his field, he said to himself: Be still, my heart.
All of this talk about love and Valentine’s Day and the word, still,—well, it reminds me of the 1950s doo-wop song, “In the Still of the Night.” Sung by the American group, The Five Satins, the love song was released in 1956.
Shoo-doop, shoo-be do,
Shoo-doop, shoo-be do…
In the still of the night,
I held you, held you tight.
'Cause I love, love you so.
Promise I'll never let you go
In the still of the night.
Great love song! Call me old or old-fashioned (both are accurate), but I adore the pop music of the 40s and 50s. I can understand the lyrics, and the lyrics do not disgust me. Just saying.
By the way…
The lyrics for “In the Still of the Night” were written by Fred Parris, and the copyright for said lyrics are held by Cherio Corporation on behalf of Llee Corp. Okay, now that the legal stuff is out of the way, I’ll wrap up this blog post with a personal note about my husband.
I recently asked John in what context he has said: Be still, my heart. He quickly replied, “I don’t use that phrase.”
Quite the succinct—and honest—answer. And exactly what I would expect from John. After four decades of marriage, he rarely says overtly “mushy” things to me. And I’m okay with that, because instead, he lets his actions doing the talking. He cooks supper, changes the battery in a smoke detector located on an 11-foot ceiling, washes a car, trouble shoots a computer glitch or an inoperative television, takes out the trash, does yard work, opens the door for ladies, serves as a chauffeur when we head out to do book events, and on and on . . .
And I say: Be still, my heart.