My friend Nevada has a poetic sensibility. And she loves the Joni Mitchell song “A Case of You” so she used part of it as her reason. Here is the verse that so inspires her heart:

“I remember that time that you told me, you said,
‘Love is touching souls.’
Surely you touched mine.
Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time.”

In the photo Nevada has typed a poem for a long-time lover of hers. The implication is clearly that he has touched her soul. She told me of their relationship, how she has known him for more than a decade, how they explored the lakes of Canada together finding new places to frolic. And now he is a soldier in Iraq and she worries about him, wonders what comes of a sweet young man sent off to war.

I find myself wondering how many souls can I touch in this lifetime? How much love can I create? There seems to be fewer greater questions. Again and again, we hear of people on their deathbeds, not wishing they had more money or things or wishing they’d done more, but simply re-affirming the importance of their human relationships. Joni knows this truth, as does Nevada. Do I? I’m learning.

Click here to see a portrait of Nevada