Had the coolest thing happen yesterday…..
I was getting out of my car in the Marina in S.F. when a guy rode by on his bike and asked, in a friendly voice, if I was Jewish. I said yes so he asked me if I would like to do a quick prayer with him wearing Tefillin, which are small black boxes, with straps, containing verses from the Torah; religious Jews wear them on their forehead and arm during daily prayers.
The guy, Levi, said he was from New York but was now living in Santa Rosa with his new wife, Mirel, who was with him. He said the two of them try to find someone to pray with every day, as a mitzvah (a good deed).
I hadn’t worn Tefillin since my grandfather showed me how to do it when I was a kid so I found his offer hugely appealing. I put on the Tefillin and Levi and I then proceeded to pray for a couple of minutes right there on The Streets of San Francisco (no Karl Malden sightings). That’s me and Levi in the picture praying, not crying!
Now, I’m not the least bit spiritual but while Levi and I were praying, the thought of Jake was suddenly front and center (he’s on my mind now every second but sometimes a bit more in the background) and I felt tears coming but a sense of peace and calm also washed over me.
Afterward, I told Levi and Mirel that my son had recently passed away and how I felt at that moment and I could tell they were touched. It was quite a beautiful moment, wholly unexpected and uplifting.
I think we Californians could learn something from New Yorkers about openness, directness and connection.
Source: Rich Lee
