Thanksgiving

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Thank you in Hebrew is toda raba (toe-DAH ruh-BAH).

Most of our trips to Israel were with the Israeli Celebration Dancers. At that time, our daughter was a member of this group from northern Colorado. On one trip, they went to a store in an ultra-orthodox area of Jerusalem called Mea Shearim.


One of the problems with my going on a trip with dancers is my own physical condition. Being overweight and not in good shape sometimes made it difficult for me to keep up while walking.

This day was hot, and the walk was long. It was challenging for me to keep up. The group would get ahead of Roy and me and then wait for us to catch up to ensure we didn’t get lost. Despite their kindness of waiting, the problem worsened because they would get rest, but I would not.


When we arrived at Mea Shearim, I was exhausted, and judging from people’s reactions, I must have looked pretty bad. I’ve been told I was pale, fighting to breathe, and shaking.

However, an old woman, a beggar, saw me as we approached the place she was standing. She stepped inside the store in front of which she stood, brought out a chair, and insisted I sit down and rest. It was a difficult conversation since neither of us spoke the other’s language.


We were later told begging is considered a profession, and beggars are licensed to work in specific areas. However, I have not been able to confirm that information.


After I rested for a little while and could breathe better, I wanted to give her a donation in thanks for her kindness. She would not accept any donations from me or anyone in our group. She even went as far as to go inside one of the stores to avoid us.


The dancers purchased their music, and Roy and I bought a cd we still enjoy.


Thanksgiving reminds me of this time when a beggar gave up a portion of her livelihood to show me such great kindness without expecting or wanting anything in return. She is a shining reminder of the type of love and kindness Jesus calls us to offer one another.

This CD is one of my favorites. One of the original songs is “I am the Flower.” One verse is “I who am nothing, Cry out this blessing, Blessed art thou high above, You are our father, Shower your children with love.” Another favorite is “Somewhere Moshiach” which is about the longing for the coming of the Messiah.
While there are some beautiful original songs, there are also fun ones including “Seven Shabbos Candles” set to the tune of “Seven Spanish Angels;” “The Little Old Lady Named Pessy Deena” to the tune of “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena;” “Shabbos Goy,” to the tune of “Soldier Boy;” and “I’m Proud to be a Part of Am Yisroel” to the tune of “Okie from Muskogee.”

A Busy Week of Writing

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November month is NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. It is a worldwide challenge to write a 50,000-word novel during November.
The concept is to put the story running around in your head on paper (or computer) without editing or judging that story.


I am feeling proud of myself since, as of this morning, I have written 34,628 words. In December, I can start editing the story. With the working title of Healing Shards, my story is the sequel to my novel Shattered Trust and continues the story of Logan and Margaret.


But participating in NaNoWriMo is not stoping the process of working on my Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs children’s book series. The editing continues. The plan is still to have at least the first two books available before Easter.
To all my writing friends – Happy Writing.

No Editing During NaNoWriMo

Yad Vashem Memorial Pin

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The Yad Vashem Memorial Pin

One of my most treasured purchases in Israel is this Yad Vashem Memorial Pin because it has so many deep meanings and memories.

Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to all who died in the Holocaust. The Jews who died are remembered as are the Gentiles who helped them in the fight against Nazi Germany.

The blurb inside the packaging says “The barbed wire stem recalls the pain and trauma of the Holocaust, while the leaves stemming from the wire symbolize the rebirth and hope that emerged in the wake of this unparalleled tragedy. Wearing this pin expresses your commitment to remembering the past in order to ensure a better future for our children.”

I’ve worn a pin like this several times. I should say I’ve worn and broken pins like this one. Now I keep it safely in the packaging. The pin is made of soft pewter and is fragile.

Even the easy breakage of the pin adds to the meaning for me as I listen to the chaos and hate circling our world today. So many people behave as though they only see the barb wire and ignore the leaves. For me, as a Christian, I see Jesus in the leaves. He is my hope.

NOTE: This was on my heart today when I set up a different blog, so I changed the subject. I will be blogging about how we felt when we visited Yad Vashem in January.

The Upper Room

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As I’m writing these blogs, my goal is to share not only the things and places I’ve seen on my trips to Israel but also to share the emotions and thoughts about my faith that came with those sights. Visiting the place archeologists have determined to be the Upper Room sent me to do a lot of research.

We learn about this room and events in Matthew 26:1-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-38, and John 13:1-38. Here, Jesus shared the His last supper with the disciples. This is where He foretold the denial by Peter, where He identified Judas as the man who would betray Him, and where He washed the disciples’ feet.

To stand in this room and visualize the Last Supper brought tears to my eyes. Even today, when we celebrate communion, I can see Jesus sitting across a rugged table in this room, foretelling what will happen to Him.

In Acts, chapters 1 and 2, the Bible tells us the disciples returned here to wait for the Holy Spirit as Jesus instructed them. It is here the Spirit empowered the disciples, and the Christian church was formed.

We were told during the persecution of the Christians by the Romans, all symbols of Jesus and His followers were destroyed. All but one. The pelicans on the columns remain today. Like many Christians today, the Romans did not know the pelican symbolized how much God loves us. Here is one link of many telling the legend of the pelican.

In this picture, the room appears quite spacious. However, my guesstimate of the size is 25 feet by 25 feet or about 625 square feet. In addition, I have problems visualizing 120 people in this room.

Not Sure What to Post

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I’m really not sure what to post this week because it is the fifth Friday of the month. When I started this blog, I had a solid plan for four Fridays in a month.

First, one of the stories that holds a special place in my heart from my trips to Israel. Second, a fun story about food. Third, how things are going with my writing, especially about my book(s) about the birth of Jesus called Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs. And fourth, a special item for sale in Israel. But I wasn’t sure about the fifth Friday and I’m still not.

One suggestion is to do a give-away box of some of the interesting items from Israel, but I don’t have that possibility put together, largely due to cost. Another idea is to create some of my short stories, framed and suitable for hanging.

I’m still working on other ideas so I’m open to suggestions. Please send me your ideas and I’ll come up with a special gift for the originator of any I use.