People move in and out of our lives, invitations to deeper waters we could not travel except for them. This stirs lovely as well as lonely moods, their coming and their going. Not meant to join lives, nor slow down one another’s journey, nor interrupt life ties, we can but touch one another as we pass, at the intersection, on the way.

It sets my heart singing when souls chance meeting. To look within another’s soul, to share the stirring, to taste their meaning, to hear the music that lightens their step — this enriches me. I taste myself their struggles, their disappointments, their joys. I sense myself walking another’s life, loving those they love, picking up the circumstance of their life as if, briefly, these are my own. It enlarges my vision to walks I cannot stop to take, though some I might love. I touch that place within that mirrors life’s simple passions, our common needs and dreams.

Why do we hesitate to touch, to search deeply another’s soul? Is it fear of loss, of good-byes that leave sweet sadness where once friendship stirred? A drain of energy, perhaps, from ties or loyalties we name as our hollowed ground? Must there be roadblocks before the road comes into view? Clear limits, perhaps, boundaries, yes. But roadblocks, why?

I long to take you in and to hear your song. To know what makes your heart quicken, what music stirs your soul, what sends you out in morning and makes coming home complete. What do you see out there; what are you learning? What questions form the layers of your seeking? What wisdom keeps you safe at night? What have you come to cherish?

I long to dig into the images that bubble up your dreams, to soak in your imagination, to hear what makes you laugh. I long to sit in silence and to hear your story, to experience every feeling that has built the walls you carry, to know the secret longings you speak only to the stars. I want to wade your memories and walk with those who love you, to hear their stories of you, how you came to who you are. I want to listen to every word you say to me, as I am filled already with all you haven’t said out loud.

And when the sands of time blow across our names and quicken the hour of our goodbye, I’ll not complain. I’ll not hold on, nor speak of any need of you, nor ask for explanations. I’ll have that place within that cradles our souls’ exchange and can wave you on to future moments to which I cannot come. I’ve ridden this horse too many times not to know the outcome. When souls share deeply yet do not belong, there is marriage enough in the moment.

Your world is right for you. My world is right for me. What a blessing, our ability to make a life. The bridge we crossed is open ended and wide and meant for more than just our crossing. Our exchange has enlarged our capacity to love, and to be loved. There is no loss.

I’ll never tire of sharing soul, of seeing in another’s longings the same depths as my own. I’ll stop and play the music for as long as music lasts. Then, full, I’ll pass on by to live another day.