I Can't Believe I'm (finally) Here!!!

(for some reason the computer I'm using doesn't show me my ClockLink, editing capabilities or rich text for this blog, so I can't choose my font and color, nor can I even preview the post. So I apologize for any errors or inconsistencies in the design of the following posts. To my readers: please let me know if you can see my Yerushalayim Time Clock, ok? I need to figure out if it's this computer or the Blogger site. Maybe my host will help me figure this out; he's sort of a computer guru.)
I arrived in Israel 11 October, Wednesday night at 17:05 hours. Half the chag I was with my daughter, son-in-law and grandkids in the USA, and the other half I was on the other side of the world. A moment of awestuck silence(drumroll,please)for the wonders of technology (thank you, Hashem, for giving us brains to use and develop!).
I am still in a mild state of shock that I actually had the chutzpah to hit the 'send' button on my computer and buy the ticket. But I did, and I am here. And so happy to be here: my four kids who live here all came to meet me at the airport. I was balling like a baby.
I spent the rest of chol ha-mo'ed Sukkot at my sons' apt. They actually had room for me (in the miklat, my younger son's 'bedroom') because he slept in the Sukkah! All five of us were there; we benched lulav and etrog in their beautiful-ok, it was small, but with beautiful, colorfully decoratedbadim for walls - Sukkah, and had meals there. For the last Yom Tov we were in E----- with my daughter's friends Markaroni, whom we had never met before. That is the beauty of people in Israel and the chagim: sight unseen, a family of six invited five adults to their home to stay over Shabbat/Yom Tov. They told me that until my daughter had emailed and spoken to them, they were worried that they wouldn't have any guests for the end of the chag. Now that's hachnasat orchim! My daughter was right; she said they're great people & we'd love them. They are, and we do.
Motzai Shabbat we drove back to H------ where my sons live, and Yom Rishon we took care of some errands in town and then drove down to the Gush where I am staying with friends. (translation: 'Have No Sukkah, will Travel !')
Today I have people to call, places to go - although I'm getting a late start because I first wanted to post this, it's been too long - have not been to the Kotel yet; probably will not be able to today, but you never know. Have not forgotten the Tehillim I promised to say with all the names you gave me, my loyal readers (all 3 of you). I saved them and will print them out before I go, bli neder.
Do you know how wonderful it is to hear Ivrit in the streets? How wonderful it is to see road signs and shop signs in Ivrit? How wonderful (alright, tolerable) to hear people yelling at you in traffic in Ivrit? I have missed this for so long...
(note to daughter-you know who you are): CHANGE YOUR MIND. COME HOME. You, especially YOU, could live very nicely here. SO COME HOME, so that your kids could learn Ivrit and be with their Savta in OUR LAND, and we can all be together.
But for now, a message from ME to ME, MYSELF & I:
WELCOME HOME !!

Comments

Welcome home -- and enjoy every second of your stay! Being here during sukkot is always a wonderful experience...

Only 3 readers, eh? :-)
kasamba said…
Oh, you're so lucky to be there!
you describe it so beautifully that my heart aches with a longing to go back to Israel!

Enjoy it for the rest of us and daven for ALL of us!!!
Anonymous said…
Welcome, great to have you here. Israeli warmth and hospitality is truly extraordinary, as you've seen. Have a great stay. (By the way, I see your clock still, but it shows the time an hour forward, as if it didn't know the time changed before Yom Kippur).
I see the clock. Welcome to the holy land. Nice you are there. I am sure you are loving it.
anonym00kie said…
its like all the time we're not in israel we're supressing our real desire to be there, and when we get there it just explodes out of us. its great to read your post.. i can feel the relief and the pleasure in your voice.. makes me really miss israel tho :)
enjoy every minute!
ggggg said…
Awesome! I am jealous! Enjoy every moment in the holy land!

p.s. i dont see the clock either.
Jack Steiner said…
Sounds great. Enjoy.
Youre so lucky....
I cant wait to go back...
MODoc said…
Your clock is there. Have a great trip!
Lady-Light said…
Jameel: hey, hope I have more (you are #4, I think-sababa)-!
Kasamba: tonight will be a week that I'm here; have not even had a chance to go to the Kotel yet. Have to print out all those names for tehillim and just GO!
AbbaGav: you are "right on" (they used to say that in the sixties) hospitality that is not equaled anywhere, that's for sure. Was so frustrated about that d-*%$#@-m! clock, you have no idea-what a fadicha! Finally got the right code to match our time here (are we on Europe Central Time?).
SWFM: I am loving it and trying to figure out how to stay. that is the problem...
'm00kie: thank you-yes, "relief & pleasure"; but now reality is setting in(translation: "whaddamy gonna do about money??!"). I'm working on it...
LV: don't be jealous. just come. if I can 'lose it' and buy a one-way ticket, so can you!(btw, fixed clock).
Jack: thank you; I am!
David: lucky? basically I ran away from home. you can too! (see reply to LV above).
Modoc: long time no hear!! where have you been? I am never on shmooze any more. no time even for this blog-how can I do anything else?! hope you are well, and welcome back!
Elie said…
LL: Maybe I'm really slow... but are you saying in this post that you made an impulsive decision to visit Israel for yom tov, or to actually make aliya permanently? If the latter, all I can say is wow!
Beautiful Post!!!
btw - your blogs so creative with the clock and with the bsiyata dishmaya raining down from the heavens..
Lady-Light said…
Elie:you are not slow. I made an impulsive decision, yes, but not just to visit Israel for the chagim, but for an extended visit and fact-finding trip about aliyah. I need to find out my status, whether I still can be an olah hadasha, or whether I am a toshevet hozeret(or worse, whether I am not eligible for any help from the medinah).
Ayala: (please don't hate me!) You have the same question that Elie had;read my reply to him for the answer. The thing is, I don't know if it will work...but I so appreciate the happiness you feel for me--it warms my heart to see that people care about each other so much. May you merit mitzvot!
tziyonisheR.:first I need to give more tzedaka;don't know when the next shmitah year will be, but...
t.o.w.i.k.:thank you so much for the wonderful compliments!Welcome to my blog. I will check yours out soon.
Lady-Light said…
t.o.w.i.k.: hey, you don't have a blog!

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