Jennifer Harvilak
What does it mean to be spiritual?
Is it finding the divine in the intricate patterns of leaves? Is it seeing the sacred in the smiles of children? Is it walking with admiration through the days and nights of a life lived in wonder? It is all of these things and more….at least to me.
My name is Jennifer Harvilak. I embarked on this life in August of 1973, starting out from Baptism as a Catholic. Over time, I began to question many things. I questioned everything that was taught in churches, in schools, in social gatherings, and in life. With the loss of my mother, at almost age 15, I became an agnostic who set out on a quest to find myself. I spent much of my time researching and questioning, pondering and rethinking. I moved through the mundane world in much the same way as everyone else…working, getting married, having my first born son, and eventually beginning the rewarding adventure of home schooling.
Spiritually, I evolved with every year that passed. I found that I loved the Earth. I saw the sacredness of all life. My Agnosticism eventually gave way to a more earth centered approach to spiritual identity. With time, even this evolved to be inclusive of the idea that all spiritual concepts provide valid experiences for the different people who follow them. I have come to understand that finding spirituality is a life long endeavor based on personal experiences, research, reflection, the sharing of ideas, and finding common ground with others.
As a person, I have come to love the idea of education. When I got pregnant with my son I decided that I wanted to work with children. I became a child care provider in 2000, educating myself over the years so that I could move into the role of preschool teacher and part time hero. I loved working with my students and I loved being their friend. I was able to help them learn the social norms and the academics for their age. It was extremely rewarding, but it lacked the element of spirituality which is so important in my life.
Then…an email from a dear friend, spoke about a wonderful opportunity which would combine my love of education with my deep sense of spirituality. And so, with more spiritual reflection, I set out to evolve even further and become a Director of Religious Education. I became DRE at Cedarhurst in Late February of 2008.
I have been continually amazed at the amount of caring and devotion that goes into ensuring that every person in the R.E. Program is given the opportunity to connect with others, to research, reflect, evolve, and to develop a spiritual identity. It is with great excitement that I look forward to growing with all of the many wonderful people that I will encounter in the community of Cedarhurst Unitarian Universalists.
In every season of our lives there is much to learn, and I have come to know that there can be much joy in learning it together….Many Blessings to our shared journey.
Jennifer Harvilak