THE PERFECT HEART
Sent by joekib_33@email.msn.com

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaimingthat he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowdgathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was nota mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautifulheart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted moreloudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said "Whyyour heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the youngman looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full ofscars, 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, theythought? The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state andlaughed. "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 nevertrade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I havegiven my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and oftenthey give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in myheart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges,which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. SometimesI have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returneda piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love istaking a chance.

Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me ofthe love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may returnand 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. Hewalked 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 piecefrom his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man'sheart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. Theyoung man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful thanever, since 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 untouched heart.