Between the Numbers

"When someone dies, we list the year he was born, the year he died, and a hyphen between the two random numbers. It is not important when a person is born nor when he dies but the years he spent living and the lives he has touched. It is the little dash in between the two numbers that ultimately matters."

Wilma "Billie" Stone sits at the edge of her husband's, Jesse, bed as she reflects on the past 63 years together during a visit at the VA hospital in Martinez ,Calif. on Friday, January 26, 2001. Mr. Stone has suffered from progressive Super-nuclear Parsy. (Tue Nam Ton/Contra Costa Times)

(Thank you, Tue Nam, for your poignant photo and eloquent words. And thanks for your friendship in making the space between my numbers more meaningful.)