* The Most Beautiful 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 to admire his perfect heart. There was not a mark or a flaw in it and they all agreed it was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted 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." Everyone looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but it was full of scars. Pieces had been removed and replaced with pieces that didn't fit quiteright and left jagged edges. In some places, there were deep gouges where pieces were missing. The people wondered how he thought his heart was more beautiful.

The young man looked at the old man's heart and laughed. "You must be joking" he said. "My heart 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, each 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 it leaves rough edges. I cherish those flaws because they remind me of the love we shared."

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away but the other person didn't return their a piece of their heart to me, leaving an empty gouge. Although those gouges are painful, they remind me of the the love I have for these people. And, I hope someday they will 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 cheecks. 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 of his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, so there were some jagged. edges. The young man looked at his heart, no longer perfect, but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away, side by side.............................