There are moments in life so powerful, so deeply spiritual, that they mark us forever. For me, one of those moments happened on my wedding night—a feeling so transcendent and pure that it seemed to rise straight from the deepest part of who I am. It was love in its most divine form, a gift from God so overwhelming that I knew right then I was meant to share His love with others.
That moment became the heartbeat behind my book, Loved Just As I Am.
Ever since, I’ve continued asking God to show me more—more insight, more connection, more understanding of this beautiful gift of divine love. And when you ask God to teach you, He often answers through the unlikeliest places—books, memories, conversations, even Facebook.
The Heart Has Always Been the Home of Love
Just the other day, a Facebook memory resurfaced—an article I shared three years ago about Marilyn Yalom’s TED Talk on the history of the heart symbol. Her book, The Amorous Heart, dives into why the heart—not the brain—became humanity’s universal image of love.
From the Ancient Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans, cultures throughout history believed that the heart was the center of emotion, spirit, and identity. Even the tradition of wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger comes from the ancient belief in the “Vein of Love,” thought to connect directly to the heart.
Today we know the anatomy is different—but the symbolism remains beautifully intact.
Whether through Scripture, tradition, or even language (“heartfelt,” “heartbroken,” “learning by heart”), the message is the same:
The heart is where love lives.
The heart is where God speaks.
The heart is where the soul recognizes truth.
No wonder the heart was the vessel through which I felt God’s love so profoundly.
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science
While the ancients believed the heart was the center of the self, modern neuroscience has spent decades proving everything is rooted in the brain. But what I love is that new research is now finding a bridge between the two.
Years ago, I read Dr. James R. Doty’s powerful book, Into the Magic Shop. Dr. Doty—a neurosurgeon and founder of Stanford’s Center for Compassion—shares techniques he learned as a boy from a woman named Ruth, who taught him how to:
Calm the body
Quiet the mind
Open the heart
Clarify intention
These steps, which he called Ruth’s Tricks, mirror exactly what I experienced spiritually: opening the heart to experience unconditional love.
Dr. Doty’s work suggests that love, compassion, and divine openness are not simply emotional ideas—they are states of being that involve both heart and mind working together. Ancient wisdom and neuroscience finally meet.
A Trail of Symbols, Stories, and God’s Subtle Nudges
My journey with the heart didn’t stop there.
I remembered something beautiful that happened on October 15, 2022, when my mom and I visited the Mary Help of Christians Basilica at Belmont Abbey—a place deeply woven into my upbringing. We had never been inside before, but something nudged us to go.
Walking toward the basilica, I noticed pinecones scattered everywhere—something I later learned was historically connected to the heart symbol in ancient art.
That night, I came across Marilyn Yalom’s TED Talk again. The timing felt intentional—a reminder that God uses gentle threads to weave our understanding together.
And then there was the journey that led me to the book Footprints on the Rough Side of the Mountain, which helped illuminate the stories of people whose voices had been overlooked for too long. It was another confirmation that part of my purpose is to use whatever privilege and platform I have to elevate stories that deserve to be heard.
Every thread—faith, history, research, family, memory—was pointing in the same direction:
Love is divine.
Love is ancient.
Love is the language of the heart.
And God’s love is meant to be shared.
Let’s sit with that for a moment. 🙂
Melissa McDaniel, M.Ed., LCMHC, NCC, is a nationally certified counselor, licensed clinical mental health counselor, life coach, and speaker with nearly 20 years of experience helping others transform their lives. She is also the author of the #1 New Release, Loved Just As I Am.
In Loved Just As I Am, Melissa shares her 30-year journey of healing—from childhood wounds and toxic relationships to motherhood, addiction, racism, and infidelity. Through it all, she never lost sight of one truth: God’s love is unconditional. Today, she uses her deep understanding of compassion, trauma, and recovery to help others heal.
“Writing this book and laying my story bare—good and bad—wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. I hope my struggles and healing offer comfort and familiarity to anyone walking a similar path.” — Melissa McDaniel.
This book is available on Amazon, Kindle, and my business website.
