“Heart of My Love” 

I wrote “Heart of My Love (or: For Cathy)” for my wife, (you guessed it – her name is Cathy), for her present on our tenth anniversary. The kids were young in 1998, and they had “Veggie Tales” playing on the Television while I was trying to come up with a way to start my song. It happened that the phrase “stand up for what you believe in, believe in, believe in God” came up and I suddenly had the ending of the song instead of the start. 

From there I knew the song had three verses and that, while the tune for the chorus would be the same, the words for the chorus would change within the theme of the song. Three verses split nicely into “Dating, Wedding, Married” and the words were done. I admit I tweaked them some for our twentieth, but not significantly. All three verses are smoother now than in the first draft. 

With the words done, the music had to fit. Since the verses are essentially reminiscing about the time Cathy and I spent together, a slower, more contemplative feel seemed appropriate. The choruses aren’t about memory; they’re about feelings, so the music needed to be strong, energetic and full of life. 

When I finally got around to getting the copyright I had it framed and gave it to her for our twenty-third anniversary. It’s on the wall in the bedroom. 

This song is a good deal more personal than most of my other work. I might not have shared it if I hadn’t given the song to Cathy. When I asked her if she wanted her song on the website she said, “of course,” and that was the end of it. 

My wife loves this song, as do I. I hope you do too.