One day a 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 agreed that his heart was... for it was perfect.There was not a mark or flaw in it.
Yes, they all agreed... it truly was the most Beautiful Heart they had ever seen.
The man was proud and boasted more loudly about his Beautiful Heart.
Suddenly a man appeared in 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 full of scars. It had places and pieces that had been removed and other pieces put in, but they did not fit quite right and there where several jagged edges.
In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where 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 it's state and laughed. "You must be crazy" 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 see, every scar represents a person whom I have given my Love. I tear out a piece of my Heart and give it to them, and often they gave me a piece of their Heart where the empty place was in my Heart, but because the pieces are not exact...
I have some edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the Love we shared.
Sometimes I've given pieces of my Heart away and the other person hasn't returned a piece of theirs to me. These are the empty gouges - giving Love is taking a chance.
Although they are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the Love I have for these people. I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you know 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 Beautiful Heart and ripped a piece out and offered it to the old man with trembling hands.
The old man took his offering of his Heart and then he took a piece from his old scarred Heart and placed it in the young man's Heart. It fit... but not perfectly, as there where some jagged edges.
The young man looked at his Heart - not perfect any more but more Beautiful than ever with the love from the old man's Heart flowing into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.
