I love the idea, @ericvancewalton, of being 'broken beautifully'. Thank you, for developing it and reminding us of the power of having our hearts broken, open, with tenderness and compassion.

So many echoes of this life-sustaining idea from different disciplines --- spirituality, psychology, and literature. Here' a few:

"I was given a thorn in my flesh... to torment me. / Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. / But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ”

• St. Paul

'The wound is the place where the Light enters you.' -Rumi

'Only the wounded physician heals.' -Jung

'There is a crack in everything / that's how the light gets in.'

• Leonard Cohen

Even yours truly has written a little ditty on this subject:

"I've been lavishly gifted a pain
as thick and rich as oil paint
By pushing it round the page
I've learned to make Art."