One New Heart

"A Body of Work," no. 10 -- Day of Atonement

Hi! Welcome to “A Body of Work.” It’s the occasional Tuesday space here on “Living in a Body” where I dig deep into Hal history and pull out a musical gem. Click the links below to hear the song, “One New Heart.” Thank you for being here!

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One New Heart

Yesterday morning, in an act of rebellion, I pushed myself out of bed, took a shower, got dressed, loaded up the wheelchair and I went to church. The rebellious part of me said, "Damn this illness. I refuse to lay here in bed on one more beautiful Sunday morning. I don't care about the consequences...I'm getting the hell out of this house."

It turns out that I'm glad I went. My rebellion quieted when the opening music began. The congregation was greeted with a choral version of "One New Heart,” a song that Margot Milcetich, Ted Voneida and I wrote for a UU service on the subject of Yom Kippur. During the early part of the pandemic, I turned the song into a virtual choir (see below). I'm not one who typically observes this holiest day of the Jewish year, but on Sunday morning, I was sure glad to be reminded of the season of introspection and the day of at-one-ment in the Jewish tradition.

To educate myself further on the subject, I made a phone call to my friend Rabbi Lee Moore. She assured me that the music and the lyrics of “One New Heart” fit quite nicely with Yom Kippur. Then, she gave me a nourishing 20 minute lesson on the high holidays of Judaism. Right now, my brain is swimming in the details, so I'll refrain from giving you a summary. But there are a few things that stuck with me.

First of all, a phone call is always better than a wikipedia search. Hearing Lee's voice on the other side of the phone fullfilled the lines of the song that sing, "I turn to you and you turn to me." On Yom Kippur, we seek foregiveness as individuals but also as a collective. For the sake of the people, we stand before God. “I hold you as you hold me.” Living in the isolation of chronic illness, I long for the prayerful sense of community that Yom Kippur offers.

The day of “at-one-ment” is a time to put an end to last year and to begin again in Love. In this season, we return to our best selves. At church on Sunday, I joined in a ritual of writing down the things for which I need to forgive myself and for which I need to forgive others. I found the ritual to be meaningful and helpful. It was a refreshing change from laying in this bed regretting the past. Later that day, I rode my three wheeler to the river. Laying on the grass and in the gorgeous October sun, I prayed for letting go.

That’s all for now, everybody. I’ll be back as usual on Saturday. I hope you enjoy the song. And in the spirit of Yom Kippur, “May you be sealed in the book of life.” — Hal

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Ted, Hal and Margot

One New Heart

One new heart
I will make an offering
a brand new start
in a season of turning inward
toward the soul and the softening
of one new heart
in a season of atoning.

I hold you as you hold me.
I turn to you as you turn to me.

H. Walker, M. Milcetich, T. Voneida

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