Homeward bound

I'm standing in the departure terminal at JFK with my suitcase.only one suitcase. I'm with a friend but no family members. That alone is unusual. Someone  I have never met, picks us out from the crowd. Also impressive. One by one more people join us , all adults of my age group, men and woman from all backrounds from across the USA. We're about to embark on an  adventure, a once in a lifetime trip, a pilgramge to our Homeland, our BIRTHRIGHT.

I love meeting new people and  we have a great group . Everyone is sweet and funny and were gonna have a great time together.

We had to be at the airport pretty early but the time was completely taken up by the various stages of checking in, before I knew it we were up in the air and eating dinner at 2 a.m. I managed to sleep for a 5 hour stretch and felt pretty good. As morning came i walked about the plane stretching my legs, saying hi to group members spread throughout and meeting other passengers. There were newlyweds on their honeymoon, a group of USA army veterans, a guy with a long white beard who looked very much like my dad, and of course a minyan for mincha(shacharis?)

Because of the time difference, Tuesday was a short day, it was already dark when we landed. Things take longer in a group but everyone is already looking out for each other. Once everything was sorted we boarded a bus to the Golan heights.

We're staying in kibbutz ortal, in charming cabins. I'm rooming with an old friend and a new one. After 24+ of travel I'm happy to have a hot shower and a comfy bed. Alas a few hours later I was disturb by loud noise. Now I'm wide awake for at least as long as I had been asleep, and we are getting up in just a few hours. I'll be pretty tired tomorrow but I Don't care, IM IN ISRAEL!!!

blogs and bar mitzvahs

When Yossi entered first grade i felt a distinct change. it was a big transition, my baby was now a school aged kid, i was moving on to a new stage in my life.  now as  yossi begins middle school, things are changing again. Im starting to feel my age a little as we move forward into the bar mitzvah circuit.  while yossi's big day is still 2 years away (and many of his friends are his age or younger) , some of his cousins and friends  are slightly older, and so the bar/bas mitzvah celebrations have begun.

This past weekend we traveled to long island for  the bar mitzvah of Jason, the first child of Dov's college roommate. it was really special to see Dov back  with his group of friends  from years gone by. never underestimate the value of friends. they're all amazing people and we're both so fortunate to have kept up ties with them. Thank you G-d for social media, although we must continue to make an effort outside of that as well.

After the gaping hole left by the passing of 3 family members this summer,this weekend really struck a cord with me. it reminded me how precious life is, and how fast these long awaited moments pass. and how important it is to gather for each simcha, instead of waiting for sad events to bring us together.

During the celebration i was catching up with one of Dov's friends who told me that she follows my blog and asked me how we are doing.. it was really nice to get personal feedback, and it also gave me a boost of inspiration to get back into writing. It's been a very hectic 6 months, so blogging fell to the wayside, but I'll be back?