Most of us know that the heart is the organ, which pumps blood through the circulatory system. They are also a symbol of love, which you often find on Valentine’s Day cards and are the shape of candies that people give each other on that day, at least in the United States. However, the heart I have been thinking about today is not a physical heart or a material heart, but the spiritual state of being which enables love to flow through our mind, body, and soul. It is that state of being which enables love to flow in us and through our interactions with others.

Several years ago, a dear friend underwent open-heart surgery. She needed it to fix the disease, which had physically damaged her heart. Recently, I had a conversation with an acquaintance who suggested she needed open heart surgery because she had experienced so much wounding and hurt that she no longer trusted herself or others.