Getting Ready

Over the last few weeks as we are preparing to travel to Israel, I’m getting more and more excited, and also a bit nervous and a little stressed. Next week I’ll be off to the Hava Nashira songleading workshop, then out west to a bat mitzvah, and then we’ll be on our way. Getting our house ready for the people who will be house-sitting for us is a whole project in itself! Getting everything together to pack - what to pack, will it fit in the suitcases, while wondering how different things will be since I was last there 16 years ago and pondering how much of my textual skills I will remember since it has been a few years since I last studied texts this intensively, and how much music theory do I really remember for learning the oud, is part of the excitement. Over the past few weeks I have started to move more and more into the rhythm of this renewal time. I’ve enjoyed a short get-away alone with my spouse - a very rare opportunity to spend uninterrupted time without the kids. I’ve been able to go to the kids sports games and practices where I am able to focus just on them, being fully present, instead of my all too-often experience of being there bodily while thinking about congregational needs or missing games altogether because of meetings or classes. I’ve been home for dinner and bedtime almost every night - while I have made it a priority to be home for dinner even if it means a very short turn-around, most weeks I am out at meetings and classes many nights and miss reading books and our other bedtime rituals. I’ve been walking much more and taking the time to exercise - a few months ago I put on a pedometer and was shocked at how little I move during the day, too often driving when I could walk, because I have to get somewhere quickly, or because I will need the car later. I expect to do a lot more walking in Israel. Most of all, renewal is about slowing down, about taking the time to see things from a different perspective, as I have learned from my youngest who wants me to go out into our yard nearly every day to see how the apples are growing, and wants to water them to help them grow, even in the rain.