Between my brother Trevor and me, he was always the athlete.

He played tennis exceptionally well, and although we both played golf, his ability far exceeded anything I could manage. I, on the other hand, had always been the artist. From grammar school onward, I drew, painted, and made mosaics. During graduate school, I earned extra money by going from house to house, sketching the exteriors of people’s homes. Even now, I still love to draw.

A butterfly landed on the porch this morning and came to rest near my feet. It was a simple occurrence, easily overlooked, yet her visit felt deeply significant to me. I believe God can touch our souls through butterflies.

Yesterday, we reflected on how to touch another person’s soul through the sacred letter. Today, we will take that practice one step further and consider how a sacred letter may be written to someone who is no longer living in this world. Death may end a conversation, but it does not always end a relationship.

Sometimes the spoken word fails to touch another person’s soul.

Words spoken face-to-face can be fragile. They may be vulnerable to misunderstanding, defensiveness, interruption, or criticism. The person we are trying to reach may not be emotionally prepared to hear what we are saying. They may be so occupied with formulating a response—or defending their position—that much of the soul-to-soul communication is lost.

Do you ever long to touch another person’s soul, yet hesitate because such an act feels too intimate, too spiritual, or perhaps even intrusive? A recent encounter reminded me of the power to touch and be touched on the level of soul…

A soul may be touched by a single compassionate word, by a hand that is held in silence, by a sincere embrace, an unexpected act of kindness, a patient listening presence, or a truth spoken with love. Almost any human gesture can become sacred when it arises from a sincere intention to meet another at the deepest level.

Why would we want to touch another person’s soul?

There are countless reasons. We may love someone and long to feel closer to them. We may be moved by something in them and want to make a deeper connection. We may recognize a quality in that person that awakens something within us. Perhaps their courage stirs our courage. It could be that their sorrow opens our compassion. It may be possible that their goodness puts us in touch with our own and we want to establish a soul connection with them.