I am so grateful for those who see my mother as more than the sum of her illness. Thank you for sharing this view. Laurie D. Borman Highwood, Illinois
R
abbi Kozberg’s article resonated with my ideas about how our society views different stages of life. For instance, the concepts of “retirement” and the ban on “child labor,” which began as limitations to capitalistic overwork of human units of production, have had the unintended effect of devaluing the contributions of the youngest and oldest among us. A better model would be to view all people as capable of contributing to society. To this effect, I suggest we try praying with people with dementia in nursing homes, and consider their presence as a sort of “spiritual battery” or “amplifier” to assist and augment our prayers. By “assist” I do not mean a sugary Mary Poppins-type euphemism, but the spiritual, non-quantifiable reality that our prayers may be stronger and better because these people are with us, though
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