Bleeding Hearts

"Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him,

and then choose that way with all his strength."

Hasidic Saying

The flowers,  Bleeding Hearts, come early spring.   I anxiously await for the heart shaped buds to take delicate form, before they burst into full bloom.  There is something inspiring about these dainty hearts,  strung together, all dangling from one spindly branch.  They are vulnerable to spring storms, but unafraid, they gracefully display kindliness in my sight.

In comparison, my heart has never been as vulnerable nor as exposed.  I wouldn't consider myself to be a 'bleeding heart', but I do admit to being exceptionally sensitive.  On occasion, heart centered clusters have been a safe haven for me, but I have a tendency to keep my heart tightly wrapped, protected from all seasons of life.

There is both joy and pain to be learned from an open heart, but a closed heart will wither and die.
There is a quote about allowing our hearts to be repeatedly broken until they remain open forever.  It is with an open heart we welcome others in spite of the risk we take.  Compassion for others is what allows our hearts to burst from a small bud into full bloom.