Beautiful hearts

Reading Kathe's post made me think of a story someone once told me.  This story really left an impact on me and I'd like to share it with you.

There was this young woman who claimed she had the most beautiful heart in the whole world.  It wasn't scratched, cracked, or broken.  Her heart was completely intact and not a single piece of it was missing.  She walked around town boasting of her beautiful heart and challenging anyone to have a heart better than hers.  People silently agreed with her.  Her heart didn't even have one single flaw.

Then one day an old woman spoke up.  She said, "My heart is much more beautiful than yours."  The young woman laughed.  Surely this old woman must be joking.  Her heart was cracked.  There were pieces missing and pieces that didn't fit.  The young woman said, "How can you possibly think that your heart is more beautiful than mine?"  The old woman smiled and said, "The pieces of my heart that are missing I have given to all the people I have loved.  The parts that look like they don't fit were given to me by the people who have loved me.  My heart has been broken by one person and then put back together.  I have loved and been loved, hurt and been healed which is why my heart is more beautiful than your heart."  Then as young know it all girls often do, she realized she was wrong.  She reached down and broke off a piece of her heart and gave it to the old woman.  The old woman broke off a piece of her heart to put in its place.

After my friend told me this story, she continued with her own wisdom: "You can live your life one of two ways.  You can guard your heart to avoid a break or you can give it away and have a life filled with love.  It won't always be pretty but it will always be worth it."

Love can be a scary thing.  Any kind of love.  Any risk.  But you can decide which heart you think is more beautiful.  Kathe's right, put your heart out there.  Of course there's a chance that it might get broken or bruised but maybe that will make room for a piece from another person's heart.

Until next time,
Mel