I love my wife's heart

I've written about Cindy's heart before ("i-love-my-wifes-heart-for-god" and "i-love-my-wifes-heart-for-other-people") but this is more about her heart and emotions rather than her passion or love for God or others. I love that my wife is sensitive. I love that she can be hurt by others. Understand me when I say that. Some people are so rigid and cold that they couldn't care less what others say or do. They don't really care about anyone. They often don't care about themselves. Not Cindy. She loves others. She pours her heart and soul into them... And it hurts her when they seem to turn their backs on her. But it doesn't stop her from loving on. Yes, her heart is hurt and wounded... But it is so beautiful to me

This reminded me of a story that circulated around a few years back. I'm reproducing it here but it can be found at all-creatures.org. The old man's heart reminds me of Cindy's heart. I love you Sweetheart!

A Perfect Heart
Submitted by Debra Stitt QEagle@aol.com 15 Mar 2001

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 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, 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 at the 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.

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.