Greater than the Sum

What does it take to protect a heart?
Box it in bubble wrap and carry it upright.
Call it by an alias and keep its location secret.
Defend it from outsiders with weapons and cunning.
Cloister it jealously and idolize it.
Do all this and more to preserve it
And it will still be broken.

The heart is not a substance I recognize
But I know now it was not created to be kept whole
It must be filled, broken, repaired and filled again
Each time stronger. Each time greater than the sum of its broken parts.
The pain, though acute, is a side-effect of its miraculous power to heal and grow.
So, open the box; call it by its name; let the outsiders in.
Grab it from its altar and bravely run toward the sun.