Shalom

It was still pitch dark at the sound of an alarm. Dark because it is was only about 3am, and the alarm wasn’t ours, but belonged to the Bet Sefer (school) across the street. About 25-35 minutes later a series of a few other alarms went off as well, these alarms were ours. Time to get up. Big day today. The alarm across the street was still going off, piercing the quietness of 4am when our taxi driver, Ismael, arrived at our house. Four heavy suitcases were packed and loaded into and onto the car and we exchanged hugs with our friend Mark who stumbled out of bed early to say “Lahitraote” (good-bye) to us one last time.

From Jerusalem we rode west towards the coast. Our friend Ismael seemed to do most of the talking…all in English this time. It was much too early to for us to give much effort into speaking Hebrew or Arabic. Besides, Ismael enjoys using and improving his English as well. As we began the descend down the hill country out of Jerusalem, we passed a sign with huge Hebrew block letters. I remember this sign from when I first came in to Jerusalem, it’s along the main route and we have passed it many - many times over the course of two years. During my first few months in Israel I always wondered what those crazy white block letters (or symbols) were communicating. This time, more than any other, I spent a few extra minutes thinking about those words as we drove past.

“Yetset le-Shalom.” Go in Peace.

Ismael was still talking with us, but now I was a bit lost in my own thoughts. This is it. Our day has come…for us to go in peace. I can’t believe it’s time to go. I can’t believe we ever came. What’s happening?

After waiting in a slow line for an extra inspection of one of our suitcases (the one filled only with heavy textbooks) we dragged our bags up to the ticket counter. Stacie kindly asked the lady behind the counter, Yael, for a pair of good seats for her and her “really tall husband.” After a quick glance at me, and a verbal “Wow,” Yael picked up the phone to see how she could help these long legs for the long ride. God bless her.

As is our custom, Stacie took the window and I the aisle, but it didn’t really matter this time as our legs were well stretched out in front of us near an “exit”. Thanks be to God. ☺ The two gentlemen behind us were strangers to each other playing the “lets get to know each other” with some small talk. One guy was from the Bahamas, the other from Brazil. I didn’t eavesdrop on them to know anything more than that, but I am sure they had some interesting and enjoyable conversations during the duration of our trip.

Before long we were moving slowly, then quickly and ascending in elevation. Stacie’s eyes were fixed on the tiny little window, but I don’t think it was the clear glass she was focusing on. I was leaning far forward in my seat in order to see it too. As I peered through the window, there it was…the land of Israel. These ten minutes or so seemed to pass by ever so quickly, yet frozen in time. On our very first geography field study with Dr. Wright he told us it is always good to get high in order to get a great perspective of the land. The skies were crystal clear as we could see in the distance the hills of the Shephelah, the flat, green coastal plain, a small strip of white sand along the coastline and then the vast sea of very salty water, the Mediterranean. Our eyes didn’t move as we studied the view one last time. Stacie bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes and then slowly picked up speed as they rolled down her cheeks. I squeezed her hand. She squeezed mine back as her watery eyes briefly made eye contact with mine. I don’t think we even said anything. We didn’t need to. Again we both turned to gaze out the window for as long as we could. It’s time for us to go “home”…whatever and wherever that is…for now.

“Yetset le-Shalom.”