It's hard to describe...

5/10/18

It’s hard to describe the feeling of light turbulence as your plane lands in Israel.

And it’s hard to describe the look on our kids’ faces as the plane touches down.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of having your passport stamped.

And it’s hard to describe the feeling of pulling your luggage off the baggage carousel.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of walking through customs only to see Morah Lahav there to embrace you and tell you how much you’ve grown.

And it’s hard to describe the feeling of being welcomed home to a place you’ve never been.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of meeting your tour guides for the first time.

And it’s hard to describe the feeling of taking a sip out of your first Israeli branded water bottle (appropriately/questionably called “The Waters of Eden”).

It’s hard to describe the color of the late afternoon sky during a hamsin (sand storm).

And it’s hard to describe the elegance of a flock of storks gliding alongside the bus for a moment before landing in the shade of an olive tree.

It’s hard to describe how each hill and village has its story.

And it’s hard to describe the first time our kids have a mid-ride karaoke dance party to an Israeli hip hop song that they learned in Hebrew.

It’s hard to describe the road to Zichron Ya’akov.

And it’s hard to describe the lobby of Eden Village with it’s Pandora channel set to Israeli classics.

It’s hard to describe the vast indulgent freshness of your first meal in Israel.

And even harder to describe the exotic flavor of fire-roasted eggplant seasoned with only salt and pepper.

It’s hard to describe the colors of the cakes on the dessert buffet.

And it’s even harder to describe the joyful sounds of cutlery and conversation.

It's hard to describe how one of the first Americans you chat with in Israel asks if you know Simmy Pearl because they've been friends for 50 years. 

And it’s hard to describe how kids from Zichron and kids from Atlanta can meet for the first time and instantly fall in love.

It’s hard to describe the disappointment of finding out that your pen pal won’t be there because they had back surgery or are on a family vacation to Eilat.

It’s hard to describe how good it feels to shower after travelling halfway around the world to a strangely familiar and miraculous place.

And it’s hard to describe how charming it is that our kids can’t figure out how to close the hotel doors or use the old fashioned keys that unlock them.

There will be so much that happens in the days and weeks to come that will be hard, if not impossible, to describe. So instead of describing, this blog will try simply to tell. What’s told here will mean different things to you than they will mean to your children and grandchildren. And it will be a special reunion when you sit down over a meal in a few weeks and compare notes and engage in the sacred telling.