It might not be all that significant unless you know me or my friend Beth, but I love all the stories that this snapshot tells, all the small symbols it captures of an enduring friendship:

*A connection made in graduate school. Some strong bonds are made when you survive English T.A. boot camp together.
*Two English nerds who get a rush out of writing and editing and smart communication and (okay, let’s be honest) geeking out on grammar and punctuation.
*A kitchen table, where the best work and the greatest conversations are sparked.
*A friend who labors nonstop to spread humanitarian relief across the Caribbean, and especially now to Haiti.
*An afternoon we both spent working on Nazarenes Help Haiti, a Web site where tons of content — from news to video to photos to links — on earthquake relief can be found.
*An iPod remote, ’cause how could you cope without the perfect mix?
*An artist’s lovely painting of a cup of coffee, the goodness that fuels us on long nights and prods us awake on early mornings.
*A vase of flowers, a gift of beauty amid too many reminders of pain and rubble.
*A baby’s jacket, a symbol of new, giggling, sweet life.