Lisa has been writing some great stuff on her "On The Face" blog. Yesterday she wrote about Darfur refugees on a Kibbutz.
Lisa always inspires me to write something, but Gabriel has not been giving me much nap time these days, so I have been limited to web surfing while nursing, and don't have much time to write. Let's cross our fingers that he stays asleep so I can jot down this little feel-good Friday story.
What do I miss about living in Israel? The Friday market. Fresh pita and high-quality hummous. Spontaneous gestures of kindness and trust. Riding the bus while listening to the radio.
One time, the driver was listening to a talk show on the way back from the shuk, my bags filled with good groceries. A older woman called in, crying that her daughter - who had been beauty/pageant queen for Israel - had stopped visiting her and inviting her over. And how lonely it made her, especially now that the plumbing was being fixed in her bathroom, and she was not even invited to stay at her daughter's during the renovation.
A second woman called in. She said: "that is horrible! My mother died last year, and I miss her terribly. Come to my home this shabbat for dinner. You can come over any time and use our shower. You will be like family."
I looked around me, and all the passengers were smiling at this exchange. The streets cleared out and the bus bumped along into the Friday afternoon quiet.
