HOW BEAUTIFUL IS YOUR HEART ?

ONE DAY A YOUNG MAN WAS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOWN PROCLAIMING THAT HE HAD THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HEART IN THE WHOLE VALLEY.

A LARGE CROWD GATHERED AND THEY ALL ADMIRED HIS HEART FOR IT WAS PERFECT. THERE WAS NOT A MARK OR A FLAW. YES, THEY ALL AGREED IT TRULY WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HEART THEY HAD EVER SEEN.

THE YOUNG MAN WAS VERY PROUD AND BOASTED EVEN MORE LOUDLY OF HIS BEAUTIFUL HEART.
SUDDENLY, AN OLD MAN APPEARED AT THE FRONT OF THE CROWD AND SAID "WHY, YOUR HEART IS NOT NEARLY SO BEAUTIFUL AS MINE. "

THE CROWD AND THE YOUNG MAN LOOKED AT THE OLD MAN'S HEART. IT WAS BEATING STRONGLY, BUT WAS FULL OF SCARS; IT HAD PLACES WHERE PIECES HAD BEEN REMOVED AND OTHERS PUT IN - BUT THEY DIDN'T QUITE FIT, AND THERE WERE SOME JAGGED EDGES.

IN FACT, IN SOME PLACES THERE WERE DEEP GOUGES WHERE WHOLE PIECES WERE MISSING. THE PEOPLE STARED - HOW COULD HE SAY HIS HEART IS MORE BEAUTIFUL? THEY THOUGHT .

THE YOUNG MAN LOOKED AT THE STATE OF THE OLD MAN'S HEART AND
LAUGHED. "YOU MUST BE JOKING" HE SAID."COMPARE YOUR HEART WITH MINE - MINE IS PERFECT AND YOURS IS A MESS OF SCARS AND TEARS."
"YES" SAID THE OLD MAN, "YOURS IS PERFECT LOOKING, BUT I WOULD NEVER TRADE WITH YOU.

YOU SEE EVERY SCAR REPRESENTS A PERSON TO WHOM I HAVE GIVEN MY LOVE - I TEAR OUT A PIECE OF MY HEART AND GIVE IT TO THEMAND OFTEN THEY GIVE ME A PIECE OF THEIRS WHICH FITS INTO THE EMPTY PLACE IN MY HEART,

BUT BECAUSE THE PIECES AREN'T EXACT, I HAVE SOME ROUGH EDGES WHICH I CHERISH, BECAUSE THEY REMIND ME OF THE LOVE WE SHARED.

SOMETIMES I HAVE GIVEN PIECES OF MY HEART AWAY, BUT THE OTHER PERSON HASN'T RETURNED A PIECE OF THEIRS TO ME.

THESE ARE THE EMPTY GOUGES - GIVING LOVE IS TAKING A CHANCE, AND ALTHOUGH THESE GOUGES ARE PAINFUL, THEY REMAIN OPEN, REMINDING ME OF THE LOVE I HAVE FOR THESE PEOPLE TOO,

AND HOPE THAT SOMEDAY THEY MAY RETURN AND FILL THE SPACE I HAVE WAITING. SO DO YOU NOW SEE THE MEANING OF TRUE BEAUTY?
THE YOUNG MAN STOOD SILENTLY WITH TEARS RUNNING DOWN HIS CHEEKS. HE WALKED UP TO THE OLD MAN, REACHED INTO HIS PERFECT YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL HEART, AND RIPPED A PIECE OUT,

OFFERING IT TO THE OLD MAN WITH TREMBLING HANDS. THE OLD MAN TOOK THE OFFERING, PLACING IT IN HIS HEART, THEN TOOK A PIECE OF HIS OLD SCARRED HEART AND PLACED IT IN THE WOUND OF THE YOUNG MAN'S HEART.

IT FITTED, BUT NOT PERFECTLY, AS THERE WERE SOME JAGGED EDGES. THE YOUNG MAN LOOKED AT HIS HEART, NOT PERFECT ANY MORE BUT MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER, SINCE THE LOVE FROM THE OLD MAN'S HEART FLOWED INTO HIS.

THEY EMBRACED AND WALKED AWAY SIDE BY SIDE. HOW SAD IT MUST BE TO GO THROUGH LIFE WITH A WHOLE HEART.
REMEMBER….

WORK LIKE YOU DON'T NEED THE MONEY.
LOVE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN HURT.
DANCE LIKE NOBODY IS WATCHING.
PASS THIS ON TO SOMEONE YOU LIKE….I DID.