One of my friends died this morning after a long battle with cancer. Sadly, I only knew her a little, but there are people close to me who knew her a lot. To a certain extent, my understanding of her ordeal has been viewed largely through their eyes: the story of a woman afflicted by terrible suffering, who met the challenges meted out to her with perseverance and grace, but who slipped away from this world far earlier than any of us thought was fair.

When I first read the news this morning on Facebook, this song popped into my head, unbidden. It’s stayed in my head all day, which is notable, considering that I had only heard it a few times before now.

Truthfully, I don’t know what Jenny’s singing about, here. Maybe she’s talking about a lover, maybe she’s talking about a lost loved one. But I suppose that’s the beauty of her songwriting: even when her lyrics seem oblique or overtly personal, there’s a underlying, relatable truth there.

I was listening to this song on my way home tonight, and at one point, I happened to look up and see one of the clearest and brightest arrays of stars that I’ve ever gazed upon. It was the most beautiful damn thing I’ve seen in a long time.

Hug your loved ones a little closer, tonight. And Godspeed, Ann. Rest in pace.