Invisible threads

Many of us are finding connections to our own stories in serendipitous ways. I had one last night at dinner at the jewish Community Center. Our extremely vivacious host Simon greeted us warmly and told us the building was originally a famous Hebrew School of the Gaon of Vilna where the most perfect Hebrew in the world was taught. Later, I mentioned to Simon that his statement reminded me how Israelis would always marvel at the beautiful way my father spoke Hebrew. But he did not study here, I said, it was just in the little town of Keidan.  Simeon's face lit up. In Keidan! That is not just a little town. Keidan is a beautiful place, with  a school just like this one. the Gaon himself founded and worked at that school.
frankly, never before had I really believed that the compliments of the Israelis were more than flattery to an old man. Now I understood how real the compliments were. I learned something significant about my father's education and I learned it without searching specifically for it. it came with serendipity by coming to this place. An invisible thread to the famous Gaon of Vilna made itself known to me.