I read this morning an old rabbinical story that I know I have read before:
“A disciple asks the rebbe, “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?’
The rebbe answers, ‘It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks and the words fall in.’”
Checking the source, I see that this is a story “told by William Cope Moyers in his book Broken, preface from ‘The Politics of the Brokenhearted’ by Parker J. Palmer. Both Moyers and Palmer are old friends that I know via printed word. It is amazing to me how in my seeking I come across the same people again and again. It feels like I am part of a very special community.