86 Spirituality Studies 10-2 Fall 2024 around the sanctuary in a tearful and joyous celebration. Even my brother, who is not prone to dancing, joined the remarkable excitement that everyone felt. When it was over there was a catered Eastern European meal and a klezmer band to round out the whole event. It was quite a high, with three languages used, lively music, soulful prayer and dancing around the synagogue by many of the participants. It was a joy for all of us present. 7 The Aftermath One week later I turned eighty and two weeks later I was flattened by a serious case of COVID–19 that I had avoided for four years. The highs and lows of life came crashing in on me in just a short time, taken low by illness and age. Nonetheless, I have awakened in myself a newfound appreciation of spirituality. To me that means more than the rote learning of the prayers and the devotion to tradition. My experience has now led me to seeing that there is so much to be learned. Where I once only found true connection to the universe through nature, I now feel it when I am in community. I feel it when I read a meaningful piece of liturgy, I feel it when I sing with my peers at the synagogue, I experience it when I am studying with my teachers, as I gain access to knowledge I had heretofore never known. I feel it in the company of others. I feel it when I am alone and contemplating my place in the universe. I feel it when I am teaching, I feel it in an I–Thou moment with my friends, I feel it when I am listening to deeply profound music. I feel it when I am doing meaningful work, and when I am at rest, doing nothing. Perhaps it is aging or finding my way as a seeker; I do know that there is more to life than nothingness. Life is what you make it, but it also what you find as you are looking far and wide, searching for oneself.
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