Several years before his death, a remarkable rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, suffered a near-fatal heart attack.
His closest male friend was at his bedside.
Heschel was so weak he was only able to whisper.
“Sam,” he said, “I feel only gratitude for my life, for every moment I have lived. I am ready to go. I have seen so many miracles during my lifetime.”
The old rabbi was exhausted by his effort to speak.
After a long pause, he said, “Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and He gave it to me.”
I asked for wonder, and He gave it to me...
A Philistine will stand before a Claude Monet painting and pick his nose;
a person filled with wonder will stand there fighting back the tears.
Manning, Brennan. The Ragamuffin Gospel.
The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. p. 89-90