The Adventure of a Lifetime

One week! One full, busy, amazing week.
We went to the HaCarmel shuk and rubbed shoulders - really - with lots and lots of people.
I learned new words like todah (thank you) and bavakasha (please; you're welcome), slicha (excuse me) and kama ze (how much).
We saw the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee.We enjoyed a fish dinner in En Gev, fresh fruit shakes in Tel Aviv, and McDonald's on Ben Yehuda Street.
 We prayed at the stone retaining wall of the Temple and I sat on a lion statue over 2000 years old.
We walked and walked in Tel Aviv (well, I sat in Nayna's purse most of the time) and we drove through the Jezreel Valley.
And now it's time to pack up and go back to America.

We wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to go through security and passport control at the airport, so we left our hotel by taxi at 9:30 pm.
After smooth sailing through security questions and luggage check, passport control and carryon security we had more than enough time before our plane left. With shekels to spend, we ate a late dinner and did some last minute shopping.

But now what do we do? It was past our bedtimes and we were all getting sleepy.

Finally we were able to board the plane and settle in for our 15 and a half hour flight to Los Angeles.
Nayna tried several times to upgrade us to business class or at least a bulkhead seat where Papa and Nayna could stretch out their legs, but the plane was full and no one canceled their ticket.
I'll have to admit, while Papa watched movies and snoozed and Nayna listened to a recorded book and took cat naps, I snuggled into my cozy purse bed and did the bear thing - hibernation. What a wonderful gift God gave us bears. When I woke up, we were on the ground.

Jet lag again!
Our bodies still think it's 10 at night, but the clock says it's 8 in the morning. Time for breakfast.
After waiting for about a half hour for a shuttle, we were driven to our next terminal on the other side of the big airport.
By 11 am we were in the air again for our short flight home.

 Papa couldn't keep his eyes open. Nayna took a 15 minute power nap and then snapped pictures of the patchwork scenery.

Yay! We made it home safe and sound.
I was welcomed with open arms.

What an adventure! 

Living in a Coco Puff World

I was talking to a friend the other day and we got on the subject of a congregation we both use to attend. On the outside, it was a happening place. Worship was more than good, the messages hit home and fed the soul. But evidently, things were going on behind the scenes that weren't so G~dly.

This got me thinking. Is what looks good on the outside, sounds good to the ear and even seems spiritual because we've learned to accept what we hear, distorting the Truth?  Are we so used to comparing our experiences by the latest trend - what seems to be working and drawing the crowds, or by the tried and true? Is the latest book, or person going viral on youtube  giving us the heart of G~d? Do we merely except what we hear or read, just because someone begins with a passionate prayer for G~d to only let them say or do what He wants them to say or do? Where do their own desires and agenda cloud what they think G~d is telling them? 

 If we looked behind the scenes, what would we see? Do the impassioned prayers for G~d's will follow with His Word being observed and taught? Have we become enamored with the big, bright and bold and lost sight of the still, small and enduring?
Would we rather read a book, or see a video by the little old lady who seems to have no amazing stories to tell, but spends her time loving her children and grandchildren and teaches them the simple commands of G~d? Who prays behind closed doors where no one but G~d sees or hears? Or, would we rather invest our time in someone who has a mega platform and draws the crowds?
Am I saying all mega ministries, or congregations are bad? Absolutely not. But what I am saying is this-
Sometimes  bigger is not better. Just because it seems that "G~d is moving", doesn't mean He is. Sometimes, we people can mimic the spiritual and manipulate the crowd to do and see anything we want. And unless we are people of the Book, we'll be snookered.  We must be like a group of people spoken of in  Acts 17 - " As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.  Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."  They had the right idea. No matter what they heard about Saul and what he told them, they went to the Truth and checked it out for themselves.
It is so sad - there are a lot of teachings making the scene today that sound so good, look inviting and are being spread by impassioned people, but when they are examined under the microscope of the Scriptures, they prove not only wrong, but damaging.
It's like this. We see the big bowl of coco puffs with that chocolaty milk beckoning us. 

Or, would you rather have this:

They Shall Rise Up and Call Her Blessed

I've become a MOPS mentor mom. My job? Same thing I've done all along - listen, serve, love, speak, be silent, guide, follow - the usual - be a mom. I get to give gifts, receive gifts, share my food, eat food, hold babies, laugh and cry.

Once a mom, always a mom. Our job is never done. We double our investment - sometimes triple it. We now worry about more lives and hurts and boo boos. And we get more refrigerator art and weeds to put in cut crystal vases. Our children give us more children. What a deal.

I watch these young mommies and hear the stories of triumph and defeat. I see in there sleep deprived eyes hope and fear - wondering if they are doing it right, worrying that they aren't measuring up, breathing a sigh of relief when another mom shares the same scenario they just dealt with, knowing they aren't alone.
 I remember back - many gray hairs and laugh lines ago, I was in the same place, thinking the same thoughts, having the same cares. I remember wondering what my children would be like when they grew up, wondering if I was causing more damage to their little spirits when I lost it over some really small thing. Figuring that if they turned out well it would be an act of G~d, not my parenting skills.

We've heard of the Proverbs 31 woman - A Woman of Valor, Eshet Chayil, and how her name may have been Martha Stewart - not really. In verse 28, it says, " Her children arise and call her blessed..."
I've experienced that. All those tears and prayers and arguing and exasperation and worry - they all pay off.
Hubby and I have been dealing with a very painful, hard situation lately. Our adult children watched it unfold, have heard our lament, listened to our frustration, anger and angst. They've prayed and given advice and encouragement. But through it all we know that they are also watching us to see how we're walking through it. Watching to see if all those years of training and lectures, confrontations and teaching are worth their weight in real life. After all, they'll be in the same position with their own children time and again. Does it work? 
I got a phone call from my son this morning asking how things were going. We talked. He ended the conversation by telling me he was extremely proud of his father and I for how we were standing in the midst of the adversity. Later in the day my daughter called to ask. She listened with care and concern, spoke a strong, needed word concerning my well being as the outcome unfolds.  
I am a mommy and always will be. I am a blessed mommy.

Teach Your Children Well

There are some days when I come home from a shopping trip, walk in my living room and kiss the floor. I made it back in one piece! Ever have one of those days?
Then again, maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about. You live in a town with one stop sign and parents still teach their children respect.
The other day I was in Walmart, pushing my cart down one of the main aisles when I was almost broadsided. I slammed on my breaks. She stopped, then waited for me to continue on, but the look I got clearly stated that I was in her way.
I made a comment to Hubby - something along the lines of, "I hope she doesn't drive like that."
I cringe when I see a car coming towards me from from a side street. Same scenario. The way they approach the stop sign tells me they think they can make their turn in front of me.
And then there's the far right lane that merges into one lane  after a traffic light. The route we take to my daughter's house has several of these. The lane was created for people to make right hand turns, but most people zip into them to make a mad dash in front of us silly people who wait in line. (If you haven't already, check out my last blog - The Tel Aviv Bank Dance).
I've almost matched paint on more than one occasion when they cut me off.
All of this rant to make my point.

If adults don't take responsibility for teaching the young ones respect, then it will only get worse.
Children are watching us. They're in the cars of people willing to endanger the lives of themselves and those around them.
Children are watching their parents spend their free time texting while driving, or walking down the street, or eating.
Children are learning entitlement and disrespect as they watch The Disney Channel.
It's time we as adults take some time to train the next generation basic social skills and respect. It's our responsibility.
We owe it to our children, and it will keep us all alive.