Seeing myself in others

Recently a man began coming to Minyan.  He spoke to the Rabbi when he came in.  He then davened from the Amud (led the prayers).  From what I overheard, he had just finished sitting shiva for his mother.  I recognized his look, the look that speaks of pain and loss.  One of the inevitable facts of mourning is self-absorption.  The loss of my mother is deeply personal.   Going to minyan every day brings me into contact with other mourners.  Hearing others say Kaddish, seeing others who have the same look I did when I first starting attending Minyan after my shiva ended helps me to see beyond my personal loss, toward a universal understanding of life and death.