Posted in Family on 31. Oct, 2009
Ahhh….a Gigi’s bliss.
My grandkids call me Gigi. I love hearing them call out my name. There’s nothing better. Well, yes there is. Having them sit in my lap and cuddle just can’t be topped. And we have been doing a lot of that since I’ve been back!
I have been on a bit of blogger silence since I’ve been back in the States. Not on purpose but because there hasn’t been a minute to think. We have been involved with a conference in our congregation here since the minute we arrived. I haven’t even had time to post a birthday blog for my 28-year-old amazing daughter, Courtney. (I don’t want anyone to worry their head one little bit. A birthday blog is definitely in the making.)
Wow….I’m in Texas again. There is a stark a difference between the cultures of Israel and Texas. I absolutely LOVE being back, but it is VERY different from Israeli life. Jerusalem life is crazy. Traffic. Helicopters and jets. Loud concerts in the Hinnom Valley. People walking fast. (You never see someone out for just a nice leisurely stroll.) Language barriers. Navigating through the expensive, all-Hebrew grocery stores. And on and on. Yet in a strange way life is much simpler in Jerusalem. There’s no pressure to dress a certain way or keep up appearances. No one judges. If you want to wear the same clothes for three days in a row, no one thinks a thing about it. We have one friend that always wears the same shirt to the prayer room. (He never smells bad, so I know he washes it!) I think it’s so great that he feels comfortable to do that. Television is not a big deal there. Movies are not a big deal. There are not tons of meetings to go to, and, because food is so expensive, it is not assumed that there will be snacks at every meeting. You are what you are, and you are totally accepted.
Don’t get me wrong. I feel totally accepted here in Texas. I love being here with all my precious family and friends. This has been my dream for the last six months and I am relishing every second. I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and I think the issue is that in the States you are faced with so many possibilities and choices….concerning everything! In Israel your choices are limited. You don’t have a gazillion restaurants to choose from. (In fact, eating out is a rare treat, not a daily occurrence.) There isn’t a grocery store on every corner. If you need a new clothes dryer, you only have a few dryers to choose from. You name it….the choices are limited. It’s the main reason why I think life in Israel is simpler and slower. I can focus on my priorities much easier in Israel. There aren’t as many external stimuli to distract my thoughts.
I’m loving my life right now in the super-charged fast lane, though. I am drinking in every minute, every second, taking nothing for granted. God is my quiet center through it all. He keeps me focused on the real things. Loving and adoring my Bridegroom God. Loving and encouraging my family and those around me. Looking for opportunities to start up conversations with strangers that will bring a ray of hope and sunshine to their hearts. These are the things that matter.
I can’t close this post without putting in a pic of my scrumptious family. Yes, I said scrumptious. I LOVE them!
This was taken at the conference last Tuesday night. Preston is the only one missing, and that’s because he had places to go and people to see when the last amen was said. (He is loving being back with his friends!)
Posted in Family on 23. Oct, 2009
The sherut is scheduled to pick us up in 4 short hours and take us to the airport. I have waited 6 months to see my beautiful children and grandchildren face to face, and now I find myself actually about to leave my apartment. If I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up. It’s just surreal. The day is finally here! I get to see them all tomorrow!
I have a few things still on my to-do list, so I don’t have time to expound, pontificate and elaborate. I’ll just say that in a few short hours I will see this at the airport:
Ashlyn Watkins
My grandkids are too cute for words! (I have seven of the cutest in the universe.) I don’t want to let them out of my site for the next five weeks. We are going to have so much fun playing games, reading books, talking and laughing. Being a grandparent is the greatest (and most important) job in the world….
I awoke this morning before the sun. Couldn’t sleep. Too much to think about. When I lay my head on my pillow tonight, everything has to be packed for our 7-week trip and the house cleaned and ready for our friends who will be staying here while we’re gone.
I grabbed my throw blanket and went out on the porch just as the light was peeking through the clouds. The morning was crisp and cool, such a refreshing respite from the heat wave this last week. As one of our friends here says, the birds were “tweeting” and singing. I could just barely see the mountains on the other side of the Jordan River. Moses surveyed the promised land from the mountains that I look at every morning. John the Baptist hung out in the wilderness just before those mountains. Jeremiah probably climbed these hills closest to me. The view from my porch never gets old. This morning was especially poignant, because after tomorrow I won’t see this sight again for seven whole weeks. Jerusalem has stolen my heart. If heart is where the home is, then I am home. I know I won’t always be here. Abba has so many things planned for our family. There are rivers to cross and battles to win. There are pockets of darkness in the earth that need the kingdom of God declared and spoken forth over them. But for right now I am relishing the fact that God has graced me to live in the city that He loves. And I will miss her immensely.
“I am extremely jealous for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath.” Zech. 8:3
“You who make mention of the Lord, do not give Him rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth.” Isa. 62:6-7
We just THOUGHT we were through the dog days of summer. This week has been record-setting for Jerusalem. It’s been SO hot! We are suffocating at night. Normally, even in the summer, the nights cool off in Jerusalem. Well, for the last few days, it’s even been hot at night. The winds are coming from the southeast, from the desert, and with the winds come the dust. We clean our tables every day and you can still write your name on the table with your finger. We can feel the dust in our eyes. There is a coating of it on everything.
Today I walked to the Old City to do some shopping for a few people back home (namely my seven precious grandchildren). I had every intention of walking back, but when I walked out of the Jaffa Gate, I decided that there was no way I was going to walk all the way back in the heat with my packages. I flagged an Israeli taxi (haven’t braved the bus system yet) and on the way home he was telling me how unusual this heat is. He said he has never seen it so hot in October. Everyone is a amazed by it actually. We even had to get our super duper little A/C out to cool our living room. We thought we were finished with that thing over a month ago. We are drinking water like crazy and have fans blowing directly on us any time we sit down.
We love Jerusalem. There’s no better place to live, but please, Lord, remember that it’s October!
Now that the Biblical high holy days in Israel are over, life is getting back to normal. Well, I guess it depends on what you consider normal.
Normal for me:
Waking up at 6:00 sharp every morning, because it starts getting light at 5. (I can not sleep when it starts getting light. I’m afraid I’m going to miss something!)
Walking down the mountain and across a busy street to the grocery store every two or three days. (My mother would cringe if she knew how I get across the street.)
Walking to the prayer room daily to either lead or attend prayer watches. This is my joy.
Trying to tune out Muslim calls to prayer that are broadcast over the city five times every day.
Mopping my dusty floors, because our windows are always open and we are a stone’s throw from the desert.
Praying with a short-term volunteer to be released from the typical oppression that comes when you first move here. (It’s always tough, but especially tough when you first get here.)
Trying to figure out why the internet is soooo slow.
Looking at the mountains of Moab from my living room window.
Hanging my wet laundry on a drying rack on my patio because the teeny dryer takes way too long to dry (and is way too expensive).
Pinching myself to make sure I actually live in Israel.
Using my very limited Hebrew with store clerks. (Is zero “tesha” or “efes”?)
Eating fresh pita, turkey, hummus and Israeli salad for lunch (the yoozsh). (That’s for you, Rach.)
Studying the book of Revelation and realizing it’s all going to take place in my neck of the woods!
Having an open door for twenty-somethings to come practice worship leading on our keyboard or to come just to hang out and talk.
Taking a shower in the afternoon because the water is warmer from the solar heater on the roof.
Walking to the Old City and bargaining with the Arab vendors. (“Thirty shekels?! For that?!!”)
Being overwhelmed with gratefulness that I am privileged to experience all this and more.
This is my normal. And I love it.
Mountains of Moab
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