SHOW ME THE WAY

Of course I’d have to try to think of a THEME or phrase to sum up my trip even before it takes place!  I have decided on SHOW ME THE WAY.  Our Interfaith journey for me, is a pilgrimage for o thers and we’re all every excited to see the Sacred Spaces meaningful to oneself as well as those of others.  I want to see how we each individually and collectively seek for our God to Show us the Way and how these sacred spaces in the holiest of lands fulfills that for us.

I think it’s a good thing that when you embark on this lengthy of a journey that takes you at least 24 hours to arrive at your destination, that you’re pretty much too tired to blog immediately!  Even the best of flights and airport happenings is grueling and the post would be rather ugly at best!  This journey was no different!  I spent the majority of the long flight (10.5 hours portion) with this man’s elbow in my gut and his utter disdain at the misfortune of being sandwiched between me and my son Michael for this flight.  He bitched and moaned and actually didn’t even take a seat until the very last seconds before we pulled out of the jetway.  I’m not certain I’d have felt excellent about that seat placement either in a fairness reflection, however, he had a “8 months pregnant” gut of his own so while I felt fat and awful for being so, it wasn’t like he was some sort of skinny minnie!!!  I kept my arms and body pulled all the way to the left, nesting in the window sill to give him room as I felt so self-conscious, and my reward was that he literally jabbed his elbow into my side the entire time.  Ahhh, well, enough of that for now as I survived and landed in to lovely Tel Aviv just after sun down.

I did enjoy a lovely view of sunset on the plane wing as we were descenting (hopefully picture below) and when I peered out the window, the upturn at the end of the plane wing was teh Israeli flag staring at me in the colorful sunset.

The ariplane landed and getting through Passport Control and baggage claim was fairly uneventful!  Yay!  We got in our mini-bus which will carry us throughout beautiful Israel and, must to my joy and amazement, it’s fairly new and has FREE WiFi!!!!!!!!  And the air conditioning was stellar!

We met with our brilliant guide Amos.  He was our guide 2 years ago and Rabbi Enid arranged that this group would also have him.  Lucky us.  However, with the discovery of the 3 teens who were kidnapped last week, suspected by Hamas, his status as a Commander or Colonel or whatever exactly it is, has placed him on high alert.  All three were found murdered and buried.  It’s very tragic and is disconcerting.

Michael will leave our group today to take a train to Haifa and then a bus to Kibbutz Yagur to being his Post-Graduate Experience.  Yes I’m nervous and scared, but he’s not; and he’s 27 and this was completely his idea and planning, so off he’ll go in a few short minutes.  i was able to get him a room here at our hotel for last night so we didn’t have to share my small single room (phew!).  I should be seeing him off shortly as we go to breakfast on the Meditteranean Sea!

Off to our fresh breakfast now!  Everything here is considered “locally grown” and breakfast will be meatless and Kosher…and absolutely delicious….if I am not to obnoxious, I will try to photo it!

~Lila OX