Years ago Evan gave me this icon of Mary and Jesus with their faces touching.

He had written the icon himself and relayed what he had learned of how vital human breath is to the ancient work of writing icons in the Church of the East.

Now it’s packed away in a box awaiting a day in the future when I will gaze at it while breathing prayers.

We recently stood weeping as a box cradling Evan’s breathless body was lowered into the earth.

How long ’til we breathe together again?