thank God for interfaith friends...

It was my hope to explore the second haunting Leonard Cohen song today, "It Be Your Will," but I need more wisdom and insight.  I will, therefore, be in conversation with a rabbi friend and colleague next week about the text of the Hebrew prayer Cohen uses for inspiration and its actual use within the Sabbath liturgy before offering up my take on this masterpiece. Thanks be to God for interfaith friendships, yes?

My life has been enriched one hundred fold by gentle souls from other faith traditions who have graciously shared their spiritual acumen with me over the years. They have been some of my most inspirational mentors on the journey of faith. From the Saginaw, MI rabbi  from Argentina who introduced me to the Talmud, the Cleveland imam who gave me hours in the Cleveland's Community Relations Board, the Tuesday morning African American ministers' breakfast collegium that welcomed a white boy from the 'burbs with open arms, and now my sisters and brothers in Berkshire County's Jewish community, I have been blessed to know wise souls with open hearts willing to reach beyond our differences to search for common ground. They tenderly correct me when I am confused, they bring gravitas born of experience to our conversations, make clear where our worldviews differ,
and encourage me to remember that no one has a monopoly on the truth.

So I will pause in gratitude before exploring "If It Be Your Will."  Stay tuned as I move on to other aspects of all things Leonard Cohen over the summer.  Next up, "Anthem" so enjoy this feast of sound from two of the master's favorite back-up singers who now own this song: Perla Batalla & Julie Christensen.