A Beautiful Heart
{Author unknown}
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 in it.
Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.
The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said,
'Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.
'The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart.
It was beating strongly... but it was full of scars...
it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in...
but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges.
In fact... in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.
The people stared... how can he say his heart is more beautiful... they thought?
The young man looked at the old man's heart... and saw its state 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 them...
and often they give me a piece of their heart 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...
and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me.These are the empty gouges...
giving love is taking a chance.Although these gouges are painful...they stay open...
reminding me of the love I have for these people too...
and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting.
So now do you see what true beauty is? '
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.
He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.
The old man took his offering... placed it in his heart...and then took a piece from his old scarred heart...
and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart.
It fit... but not perfectly... as there were some jagged edges.
The young man looked at his heart...not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever...
since love from the old man's heart flowed into his.
They embraced and walked away side by side.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have always loved this writing
And i just wanted to share the sentiment
Although i have made many attempts to trace it's origin
And the original Author
There seems to be no lack of those who would try to fool readers
By taking the credit for this...
KUDOS to the Author !
Very deep and meaningful piece

Hi Hippie
Hope you are staying warm and well pard
Catching a breath between school work i take it ?
Hope you are enjoying your weekend

Happy Holidays !

Beautiful.... heart

OMG Kik, thanks for sharing this and for giving the proper credit, although not knowing who the real author is. This is a profoundly beautiful piece of writing...It means most today because my heart has been cut, a piece removed, and a hole left where that piece was. It was however given with my free will and I will not request the cut piece to be returned to me, for it is forever with the one to whom I gave it. Thank you again, absolutely appropriate for my somber mood today.

(((Hugs)))
I'm sorry for your pain Missy...

I hope the day will bring you new and many reasons to smile !

((()))

Thanks KiK! That's sweet to say. It will heal with time.

Beautiful piece thanks for sharing