The doodle in the photo above was drawn by my best friend Kyle back in high school.

I'd imagine that the average human heart beats gallons upon gallons of blood each day. With each breath, we're filled with life that is worth another moment's worth until the next breath comes. Compared to everything else in the world, the heart is a relatively small thing. All living things have some sort of a heart. Humanity, though, has a funny way of talking about the heart. One could say that the heart is the most important organ in the body, besides the brain. I'd say that it's the most important simply because I wear my heart on my sleeve.

I've always seen that expression as something funny and oddly disturbing. If my heart was on my sleeve, I'd be bleeding down my arm. Everyone would the very lifeblood that runs through me. But it completely makes sense. When I look at people, I smile, frown, laugh, call out, or cry. I show my emotions very easily. Some can call it sensitive. I call it being human.

I would say I'm a gentle person and emotions come out easy, but a close friend of mine once sent me a letter that uses much better words.

"Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. It's a sign that you have a big heart, and that you aren't afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength." - Brigitte Nicole

I'm just one man with a big heart bleeding out on his sleeve. In an odd way of putting it, I want my heart to rub off on people so I can see theirs. Everyone has one inside of them. And the best part is there's so many different kinds, just like humans.

Some people have what are called hearts of gold. They're the leaders, role models, principals, professors, guidance counselors, parents, and everyday heroes that give life a warm embrace to help us celebrate and a shoulder to cry on when life falls into darkness. They're the ones that say they're proud of us, from the bottom of their hearts.

Weak hearts belong to those with the troubled pasts. Their owners have scars on their hearts and maybe even their wrists. Weak-hearted folks are sometimes born with it, while others are made that way because people don't understand them. In some ways, weak hearts need the most love, because they can weave some of the most beautiful and meaningful words. People with hearts of glass are similar, but we never recognize them. We only see the wall they build around their heart so they don't get hurt. But once somebody is able to break through and show them how beautiful they're heart can be, their true colors shine through like a stained glass Jesus in a church sanctuary.

The heart is our sanctuary. It holds our pain, pleasure, happiness, and anger. We give our hearts out to those who hurt and those whom we love. They get broken when they're aren't taken care of or when things hit too close to home. They set ablaze when we look into a lover's eyes and when we defend the honor of a friend. With each passing beat, we go forward in life not knowing what may come or when our heart's may stop. Even though the memories of our best and worst moments are kept in our minds, the emotions, experiences, warmth, and impressions are left on the heart.

The heart is what makes us all human. We all have one. Just like our skin, everyone's heart is different. No one wants their heart broken. So why not give everyone a chance to wear their hearts on their sleeves? Even though it would be a second-rate horror flick, it would make the world a better place. Everyone would know if you're hurting or joyful so they could celebrate with you or give you a hand to hold when the darkness comes in. As long as we have heart, we will always live. As long as we know that others have heart, we will live together.