Momstitute- Substitute Mom / Party Aunt

 

Here are some photos from a very fun week! 

Day 1- these kids love fruit and will eat it with any meal!

Beach Day!  I was still tired this day, but I found the strength to drive safely there and back, an hour each way, and by the afternoon I even walked along the edge of the water for 20 minutes or so.  Definitely on the mend and feeling grateful!  Lunch was pita sandwiches with peanut butter and bananas.  And I think we had ice cream every day this week. Sometimes twice!

Day 2

In-Center Friend Day!  These gals made two batches of croissants!  The friend brought the dough already made, which was an all day process!  The apartment smelled amazing!  Lunch was pizza with store bought dough, which looked and tasted like tortillas.  Not amazing.    We played a new game called In The Bag, which is like Taboo, Password, and Charades.  Fun!

The youth activity was a read a thon with snacks.  Lots of snacks.  Not lots of reading, but here's a picture where we are mostly pretending.

The group in Greece went to a church in Philippi commemorating Lydia, the first convert to Christianity in Europe.  She was in the business of selling purple-dyed cloth, so Frank sent me a picture of these friends wearing purple in Lydia's honor.  See Acts 16.  Purple was my favorite color when I was a kid.  I made some purple pendants from bakeable clay to share with some Lydia fans.

We got to talk to Isabella Properzi who is serving in the Italy Rome Mission, Spanish Speaking.  She is stationed in Malta right now.  

We cared for a neighbor's plants.  Jennifer Bertin has quite the green thumb!

Day 3 Cave Day!  Lunch was peanut butter banana pitas again!

Here is the entrance to the cave.  It was an hour drive for a 30-minute cave, and that's including the video.  But worth it!  We got there just ahead of an Israeli school group, so the teens were surrounded by little people practicing their English.  "What's your name?  Where are you from?" It was adorable but also difficult to extract ourselves from their friendliness.

Very cool cave.  Moist inside.

We played Sky-Jo with the Bendheims.  And ate ice cream for the second time that day.  

Day 4:  Suspension Bridge Day.  We invited friends from the branch and had a blast!

We hiked from Liberty Bell park past St. Andrew's church, down the Hinnom Valley, across the new suspension bridge, through the Valley Farm, and back up to Montefiore's windmill. 

Kristian was really sweet with this little 5-year old.  They were inseparable and matched each other's curiosity and energy.

Photo shoot in Yemin Moshe, one of the earliest neighborhoods built outside the walls of the Old city in the late 1800s.  It is a favorite spot for photographers. 

This was the point of the day where I started wondering in which pocket I had put my American phone...  I chose pants that have shallow pockets that day, and I usually try to put my phone in my coat pockets instead, but I had this nagging suspicion that I hadn't seen my iphone for a while...

Behind King David Hotel, the rolling stone tomb.  Five-year old added for scale.

Montefiore's Windmill.

Aslan!

Art in the park- a monumental face in profile.  This fits Julia's confident, upward looking personality.

By the time we returned to the parking lot, I was clearly missing my phone.  I still had my Jerusalem phone, so I could function, but my U.S. phone had not been connected to service and was being used as a camera or for wifi calling.  So I couldn't use find my phone to reach it.  

I took the teens home (after we stopped for ice cream, turning into a pattern here).  Once they were settled, I drove back to West Jerusalem and RETRACED MY STEPS!  LOOKING FOR MY PHONE!  All those placed in the photos above?  Did 'em again.  The sun was sinking, so I hustled across the suspension bridge, through the farm, left my phone number just in case the other phone was found, through the valley where we ate PB&B pitas, back to St. Andrews, back through Yemin Moshe, back to the rolling stone tomb, which by this time was looking a little creepy, past the lion and the face sculpture, past the windmill, where I saw not one but TWO "Will You Marry Me" backdrops ready for that special moment.  Then back to Liberty Bell Park.  

It's hard to see on this sign, but in the bottom yellow box, it says, first 2 hours free parking.  That is not true.  A parking attendant was ticketing cars as I was parking, and I asked him if there were 2 hours free, and he said no.  I said, then maybe it should not say that on the sign.  He nodded pleasantly but what could he do?  

So I started the day with two phones and ended with only one.  Sad.  I lost my driver's license and a debit card (which I paused right away).  But luckily I had recently upgraded Google Photos storage, so all the photos were safely in the cloud.  But it was still sad.  A hard lesson was learned.  Don't trust shallow pockets.  

Zoo Day  

Noemi is giving a little extra love to this picked-on bird.

There were three families along on this excursion, which was fun.  Kristian again hung out with the 5-year old and they kept each other occupied.  The other teens had someone to hang out with, so the moms could chat.  

The other special guest this day was Raghad, well actually she was our hostess--her brother works at the zoo and she knows it like the back of her hand.  If it hadn't been for Raghad offering some discount tickets, we wouldn't have ventured into the aquarium after the zoo.  And we would have missed some spectacular animals.

So much fun to hang out with these ladies!

This statue was a perfect fatherly metaphor for how kindly Kristian cared for his little friend today.  He'll be a great dad someday!

The butterfly encouter was amazing!  We spent maybe an hour there, and everyone loved it!  The green sweater was the first one to attract butterflies to land on it.

Almost everyone got at least one butterfly landing, even Clarisse, who  didn't particularly like the idea.

But the little 5-year old was waiting and waiting for a butterfly to land on him.  His little boy wiggles were keeping them at bay, and he was getting more and more desperate.  Finally, the teen with the green hoodie kindly offered it to the 5-year old, and his mom helped him calm down and be still, and when a butterfly flew close she snapped a picture as proof and we called it a victory.  It was sweet the way all the teens waited patiently with the 5-year old so that his wish could come true.   

I love this woman!

Watching the Properzi kids reminds me of the many times my siblings and I stayed at friends' houses while my mom went to girls camp.  This happened almost every year until I turned 12 and could go myself.  One year we stayed with Maude Alvord, and she made us Swedish pancakes, which are like crepes.  But she is Swedish, so I'll defer to her naming conventions.  Coincidentally, her son Pete lives in the branch here, so I asked him for her recipe and made it for the Properzis. 

The Properzis have a tradition of eat their crepes and pancakes not just with fruit, syrup, whipped cream, and other sweet things, but also with lemon juice.  I tried it, and it really brought out the flavor of the strawberries.  Interesting and yummy!

Barber shop open for business!  

Stripe day!

Making apple pies with Properzis is a tradition that goes way back.  

Noemi kept this plant alive all week!

After a week of playing, school started up again and the fun photos trickled off.  There was laundry to be done and the real world to be re-entered.  But also my sweetie returned from Greece!  We were together again, but not for long...

Babysitting, Interrupted by a Miracle

 Hi, friends!  

It's been a crazy month and I am 4 weeks behind on this blog, but I am giving myself grace because it was unusual in almost every way.  It was also lots of fun, with a few pivotal mistakes, some brave risks taken, some miracles, reunions, and farewells, and a war.  So buckle up! We'll start with my ten days as a Momstitute.  

From  February 15-24 I watched the Properzi kids, Julia, Kristian, and Noemi Their parents were going to Greece with Frank and the BYU Jerusalem study abroad group, and I had offered to stay back from the trip and be their substitute guardian so their mom, Larissa, could go along.  Frank was supportive, and we planned that I would go to Greece in a future semester.  I have babysat them several times before, so I knew I was in for a treat with some great teens.  

Together we brainstormed a full week: beach day, in-center friend day, cave day, suspension bridge day, zoo day, then two school days.  

All was set, and I was excited about such a great week.  I was going to be the funnest adopted aunt ever!    But the day before the Greece group left, I started feeling unexplainedly week and short of breath.  I typically have low blood pressure, so I tried hydration and increased salt, which helped at first.  

As I was saying goodbye to Frank on Sunday, I was again struck with fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain in my lungs.  It was getting worse.  This was alarming to me because I had so much responsibility in the coming week, and so many active plans, requiring lengthy drives and hiking, and suddenly I found myself unable to even walk down the 4 flights of stairs to the Properzi's apartment.  By this time my prayers were getting serious.  If I needed to get to urgent care my choices were narrowing.  Half of the adults in the center had just left, with all but one couple set to join them in a few hours.  

As I was praying and pondering and moving sloth-like through a long list of tasks, I got a text from Frank that he had arrived in Greece but his suitcase had gotten broken in the baggage handling process. 

 Could I please take our other small suitcase up to the main office on level 7 so someone in the second wave of travelers could bring it to him?  So another task was on my list, this one involving stairs.  Ordinarily I would have bounded up and delivered it up two flights of stairs in no time.  But now I was metering my energy outlay, consciously planning how to take the fewest possible steps before I could rest.

I was still praying, still stewing, should I go to urgent care?  It is a crazy long process here.  It would take the rest of the day, take me away from my commitment to these teens, and lengthy medical tests may not find anything.  I had fainted before, sometimes related to my cycles, so this could be just a weird hormonal thing and not worth a medical visit.  

Or what if they found something serious?  What if  this was very serious!  What if this was a heart attack?  Female heart attack symptoms are hard to decipher, according to Dr. Google.  I had a few possible symptoms but not enough to know for sure.  Or a blood clot.  Dr. Google was starting to freak me out.  The thought that this could be the end for me was starting to creep in the corners of my mind.  This sounds dramatic, but I was on the verge of being really concerned. 

I dragged myself and the empty suitcase up two long flights of stairs, literally stopping to rest along the way. As I did, just like Alma the Younger, my mind caught hold of a hopeful thought, a heaven-sent thought.  There was still time for a priesthood blessing before everyone left the building a few hours from now.  I knew that even as he was preparing to leave, our director Shon Hopkin would be willing to give me a blessing if I asked.  So as I gave him the empty suitcase, I asked for a priesthood blessing, and he of course said yes.  Bless his heart, he didn't even glance at his watch, which I probably would have done in his shoes!

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a priesthood blessing basically means that a holder of the priesthood anoints, or pours a drop of consecrated oil on the head of the sick person, then puts their hands on the head of the person and offers a prayer for their healing.  It amplifies the power of faith and prayer, and I needed some extra power right now!  

After talking with me about how I was feeling, physically and emotionally, Shon administered a drop of oil.  As he did, I was transported in my mind to the temple.  I was in the initiatory booth, clothed in white with my temple worker's nametag, administering a drop of oil to a sister who had come to the temple seeking power from God.  I saw myself with my hands on that sister's head, speaking sacred words, promising her clarity, strength to match earthly burdens, and hope for heavenly protection.  When I was serving in the temple, I had officiated in this priesthood function as an authorized representive of God's love for his beloved daughters.  I had symbolized God's hands pouring out blessings upon the heads of other women.  

And now it was my turn to claim those blessings.  The prayer went on to plead for physical strength and healing, as well as an outpouring of peace, which I felt clearly.  Then I was promised help from earthly helpers as well as heavenly ones.  This thought transported me again, but to the distant past, to a family miracle that happened before I was born.  

Almost a century ago, my maternal grandmother Ruth South Soderborg was a social worker working at a residential facility for women in New York.  Several of the women had been upset over living conditions (probably justified) and they were staging a demonstration that was about to turn violent.  Ruth was sent in to calm the women specifically because she was a believer in Jesus Christ.  As the lock to the cottage door clicked behind her, she saw a circle of angry faces and prayed, "Lord, you have been in tougher spots than this, but I haven’t; so, will you please take over from here?”  And although she, too, was physically weak, Ruth asked the women to teach her to dance, and with God's help she danced with the women until they were calm enough to sleep and the crisis was averted.  I wish I could report that living conditions for the women improved, but we don't get that part of the story.  At least Ruth survived to become my grandmother!  You can read her story here.

As I heard the promise of help from the other side of the veil, I knew that the same God who helped my grandma Ruth-- despite her weakness --could help me now.  And if it was in her power, I was sure my grandmother would be with me in spirit, too.  She was drawn to those who needed help and support.  I see her personality in my daughters.

So after the blessing, I headed back downstairs, noticeably strengthened.  I walked steadily, still slowly, but with a stronger stride and more confidence.  I finished my tasks, headed to the Properzi's apartment, and with the help of some cooperative teens, some serious hydration, and a few extra naps, I was able to make it through Sunday.  If my grandma could face an angry mob armed with butcher knives, surely I could face 4 flights of stairs!

By Monday I was at about 75% capacity and ready to be the party aunt again.  But moving forward, I had a sense of being watched over, that God can calm the storm inside me, and that when it's His will, he can heal me.  I don't need a miracle every week, or even every emergency.  Later this same week, I lost my phone (spoiler), and despite prayers, that miracle didn't happen.  I never did find my phone.  But that's okay.  But the miracle is that when I was low, I was able to remember that God is my strength, that I could turn to him and trust the outcome.  

Week 6 Lows and Highs (Caves and Cliffs), Interfaith discussion, and Pentecost Room

 This week contained a lot of lows and highs--in elevation, not emotionally.  

Emotionally we are doing pretty great!  There is still a simmering chance of conflict in the middle east, a drought in the American West, and budget battles in the US legislature....  

But on the plus side, there were the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, a just dance smoothie activity for the branch youth, and getting setting apart for a new calling (I get to help plan district youth activities! Message me all your good ideas for the theme "Walk with Me"!)

Let's start with the lows:  

We headed to some underground caves in the Beit Guvrin/Tel Maresha national park.  This is in the Shephelah area, which means the low hills between the coast and the high mountains of Jerusalem.  Frank reminded the students to pronounce "Shephelah" with two syllables, like "Shfay-LAH."  One smart-aleck student replied, "Why don't we just say it with one syllable: "Shflah."

These underground caves were dug for lots of uses: 

1. To house pigeons (for food, sacrifices, and fertilizer)

2) For processing olives (used for cooking, anointing, and light)

3) For storing water 

(Below is another interesting water storage place called Mamilla Pool in Jerusalem.) 

4) For quarrying stone (you can see the tidy rows of chisel marks in the top half of the picture)

In the photo below someone carved a lovely staircase which broke and now lays on it side in the foreground.

Speaking of crazy staircases... 

Other uses of caves:

5) To harvest soft, chalky limestone (for plastering homes and cisterns).
The caves left behind by this process are shaped like bells, hence the bell caves. 

6) For great acoustics!  Tis sweet to sing together!

7) For great photo ops!

A few more underground photos:  This boat is and ancient graffito from a hidden room behind the Armenian chapel in the basement of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The ancient Greek lettering says, "Lord, we have come" and dates to 300 A.C.  It indicates that pilgrimage to holy sites has been around for a very long time!  If you're curious, learn more here. 

Below the current ground level of Damascus Gate was an ancient Roman Gate system.  You can see one arch in the lower left.  

Here's that same arch after we went down some stairs.

Inside is a surprisingly large underground space where soldiers could hang out, crush olives, and play games when they were bored.   

Scratched into a pavement stone is a game called alquerque, like xhinese checkers (link for more info) .  So guard duty wasn't only drudgery and vigilance, I guess.

Let's move on from the lows to the highs!

High places are good for...

1) Defensibility.  At Tel Lachish, in the Shefelah, students imagined trying to defend the fortified hill top from Assyrians.  It did not go well anciently - tons of arrowheads and ballista balls were found here, and the defeat was carved in graphic detail in stone murals in Sennacherib's palace in Ninevah. 

2) Visibility.  At Lachish, archaeologists found a remarkable clay potsherd (potsherd=a fragment from a jar- used like ancient scratch paper or postcards).   Potsherds are really common at these sites, but this particular one was special because it had ancient writing on it (a potsherd with writing is called an ostrucon).  The writing said that the observer could no longer see the signal fires of Azekah, which meant that Azekah had already been conquered by the Babylonians, so Lachish would be next!  

To bring this story to life, we brought a mirror to the top of Azekah, and the other class had brought a mirror to the top of Lachish.  Frank was pointing out the general location on the horizon, and Randy Smith (a humanitarian service volunteer) was pointing the mirror trying to reflect a ray of  sunlight to a hilltop 20 miles away.  Meanwhile, they were doing the same thing from Lachish.  Amazingly enough, we saw a flash of light several times, like a tiny dot where the farthest mountains melted into the hazy horizon. 

 They saw our mirror flash several times, too, and it was an exciting moment!  The picture can't do it justice, but it can give you a sense of the difficulty of the task.

Here is another type of visibility in a high place.  This is a solar power generation facility in the Negev.  It catches the light from lots of mirrors arranged around it on the ground and then in turn gives off a blinding light as the components inside are superheated and used to create power.  Frank calls it the eye of Sauron!  On a sunny day you can see it from miles away.

3) High places are also good for making things seem important!  Like the cedars of Lebanon (a symbol of pride)!  This is the Palace Hotel, recently renovated as the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.  Here's an interesting article about its role in Israeli independence.    

We poked our head in to see the luxurious lobby.

The Grand Staircase!

4) High places are good for giving you a different perspective.  This is the view overlooking Maktesh Ramon, a crater-type depression made by erosion.

We felt small as we explored the Solomon's Pillars rock formation in Timna. 

 

Between the lows and the highs is where a lot of life happens!

The area around Timna has rich mineral deposits and was mined by ancient Edomites, Egyptians, and Israelites.  The gift shop/cafe reflects the Egyptian influence.

I'm not sure what influence is reflected by the swan and flamingo boats, but they add a whimsical touch to this manmade lake here in the desert. 

Here's another whimsical photo, this one from West Jerusalem.

This is a fountain in West Jerusalem where Jews from Morocco settled and brought artistic influences from that area.

At a restaurant called Smashburger, the seating choices were outdoor on the street, indoor in a breezy restaurant, or in the back treehouse.  

The treehouse section had great views of wildlife.

But we found out too late that the treehouse section was also the smoking section!  All our aches and pains disappeared after inhaling all of that non-tobacco smoke...

This is the Friends of Zion museum.  It honors early leaders in the cause of Israeli independence and emerging statehood. 

Yitzak Rabin was the Prime Minister of Israel in 1992.  He was a former soldier, but as a statesman he  believed peace was a goal worthy of extreme sacrifice.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but right wing Israelis labelled him a traitor, leading to his assassination.  How sad that attempts at peace can be so costly.

We attended a really special interfaith gathering led by Ophir Yarden, who teaches the Modern  Perspectives in Israeli History class at BYU Jerusalem.  This interfaith group meets monthly, and when there is a Christian speaker, they hold it in a Jewish location and vice versa.  

This month's speaker was Jeremy Stavitsky, a rabbi, high school teacher and former headmaster of Himmelfarb high school in Jerusalem.  His talk centered on the issues of meaning, suffering, and love.  He touched on the story of Abraham, the writings of Viktor Frankl, and his own experiences dealing with suffering, love, God, and morality in the modern age.   Here is a summary of a few main points.

"By stopping Abraham just before he strikes with the knife, God is saying I am not a god like Molech, demanding child sacrifice. While humans have it in them to do this terrible thing, God is saying, I’m not that kind of God.  I want your children to grow up and bless you.  So what kind of God is he?  In the story of Abraham he defines himself as a close God and a loving God.  By the time of the story of Judah and Joseph, we don't see God's angel saving Joseph's life.  We don't see his hand on the knife.  But by that time in the text, God is involved in the reader, who can see by now the matrix of God's purposes at work in the narrative.

"Relationships of love stay with us even when that person has departed. During forced marches in the cold Polish winters, Viktor Frankl thought about his wife's smile and inwardly talked with her.  Even though she was not physically present, the love that connected them sustained him and helped him learn a great truth, that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire.  The salvation of man was through love and in love.  

"The only way to grasp the essence of another person is through love, through seeing their potential.  As I learn about each new group of students, I study them, trying to see their essence, peeling off the parts that are non-essential to reveal the inner being.  If you love someone, you don’t just see the parts of the young people that irritate you, you see who they can become in the years ahead.  

"My recently widowed daughter [whose soldier husband was killed during the recent war] was left with a young son to raise.  Some would say she would have been better off without this child to care for, but her son provides her with a focus of love and of work.  She can give and receive love from this child, and it gives a meaning and a structure to her days.  She can build a world around this meaningful work and learn how to love and be loved."

If you want to read more about this very fascinating discussion, summary notes are here.  

We went to two intriguing exhibits at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Guest House.  The first was the Shroud of Turin exhibit.  A replica of the shroud is on display, and even more interesting is the investigation into what the experience of being crucified was like for those who suffered this tortuous sentence.  

It is hard to see, but there is an image of a face near the center right side of the picture below, with feet at the center left.

Here is a crown of thorns, shaped like a cap to inflict maximum pain.

We don't like to think about the whips that were used to scourge Jesus Christ.  Pilate was thinking that this scourging would prompt pity from onlookers, but it didn't change their minds.  

This form of punishment was meant to inflict maximum pain and humiliation as a deterrent to others.  It is sobering to think of Jesus allowing this much suffering despite his innocence and his power to avert it.

This display explains that crucifixion victims usually would have died from asphyxiation, as they would have to endure unbearable pain just to find a position that allowed them to breathe.  

How amazing that Jesus had the strength and breath to be able to utter those last seven statements in mortality:

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34)

"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

"Woman, behold your son," and to the disciple, "Behold your mother." (John 19:26-27)

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)

"I thirst." (John 19:28)

"It is finished." (John 19:30)

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46) 

The next exhibit we saw was the Pentecost Room.  Chilean artist Daniel Cariola painted 4 murals depicting 119 people encountering the Holy Spirit as a mighty wind and tongues of flame.  

For a video about this Pentecost Room, click here.  Characters are portrayed with various responses.  Some are wholeheartedly embracing the experience.

Some are overcome with emotion.

Some show surprise or other emotions.

This is Mary Madgalene, who looks like she has been expecting the comforting sign of the Savior's presence. 

Mary the Mother of Jesus looks calm and ready to embrace this moment.

Why 119 people?  Because you, the viewer, are the 120th disciple, invited into the painting and into the moment. 

The ceiling of the room shows the holy spirit as a dove, surrounded by Old Testament prophets and matriarchs, angels, and the writers of the four gospels.

This was a very moving presentation.  I don't often stop to ponder the story of the Pentecost and how it empowered the church after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but this moment galvanized the faith of the new converts and propelled missionary work forward.  I think about all the challenges faced by the Savior's original apostles and disciples, and I can only guess at how this must have felt to be given a portion of the Lord's spirit and power.  I imagine the outpouring of the spirit at the Kirtland temple had some of the same effects on early latter-day saints.  Similarly, the presentation of the endowment in the Nauvoo temple gave pioneers the strength to cross a continent with more assurance, cooperation, and sacrifice than their natural capacity.  I have felt this miracle of greater strength than my own, greater hope and assurance, and a greater capacity to love as a result of saying yes to invitations from Jesus Christ!  

The Pentecost Room presentation did a great job of bringing the scriptures to life in ways that make us think and want to be better. 

Jumping now from Jerusalem to the Negev, we are jumping to the Tabernacle replica at Timnah, a journey of 4 hours.  Which hopefully not how long you feel you've been reading this post!

Highlights:  Increasingly sacred space, from the courtyard to the outer room to the inner holy of holies, each step required more purity and a more narrow definition of who could enter.  

Sacrifices would reflect offering the best to God in gratitude for a covenant relationship of guidance and protection.  The blood of the sacrifice would be spread on the horns of the altar and also sprinkled as described in the scriptures to purify those who served in the tabernacle.  

Here is a look into the altar.  Below the grate is where the wood would be lit to cook the offerings. 

The exterior walls and the tabernacle coverings were connected together with cords that allowed the whole assemblage to be packed up and carried along in the desert. 

The table of shewbread held 12 round loaves for the 12 tribes.  

The menorah would brighten this otherwise shady internal space.  

The altar of incense was purified with the blood of the sacrificial animals, and the ascending incense represented continual prayers to God.

The priest wore the stones representing the 12 tribes when he entered the holy of holies on the day of Atonement.  He symbolically carried the tribes into the presence of the Lord on that day.

There is a pocket on the back of the priest's ephod that held the Urim and Thummim which were a means of discerning divine answers through revelation.  

Wrapping up this long-overdue post:  I saw a woman making this intricate mosaic, and I couldn't do much to communicate except to sign "beautiful" in ASL, which she seemed to understand.  

The winter greenery is still hanging on here!  The yellow wildflowers are a beautiful touch.  It is the season for almond blossoms as well (not pictured, those are olive trees).

My last thought as I get ready to post this is thinking back on how difficult it was for us to reflect the light to our friends on the distant hilltop when we stood on Azekah and tried to find Lachish.  Our mirror was so small, and the target was so small, that it seemed unlikely the connection would ever work or be powerful enough to have any effect.   Some people wanted to give up and stop trying, which was probably the most logical thing to do.  But when those tiny glints of light came, it sent a thrill through everyone.  The impact of this packet of light travelling all the way from the Sun to that distant mirror and then to our eyes, sent by someone who cared enough to think about where we were and what we were hoping to see, it seemed to have a power disproportionate to its size.  

I thought of my beautiful daughters and their sweethearts, across the world, and the difficulty in trying to connect with them with the time zone and everyone's busy lives.  And how sweet when the connection happens!  

I think of Jesus Christ, trying to link to us through love despite the distancing effect of history and secular philosophies and distracting algorithms.  But when that connection occurs, it's like a flash of gold.  It's like lightning.  It's like a pulse of power.  And the reality and the memory of that glowing connection carry me through until the next flash which I trust is coming soon!  Hold on, the light will come!