April reflections again remind me that life runs-on irrespective of its occupants; it wisps away its journeymen without pause or permission. The thing is, too many cliches fit this kind of entry. "I can't believe how fast time how gone", as if time had a mind of its own and because the feeling is so accessible.
This month ran-on full with normal activities: work, school, volunteering and recreation. Our garden bursts with blossoms, school awaits a final two chapters, my students continue to put up with my scheming and I still find Thursday night soccer one of the most helpful outlets to this Jerusalem life. Yesterday, I ran yet another small tour hoping that this kind of work looks good on my CV or that the connections made here will procure a job there, wherever there is (and because its so fun:)).
I suppose there were a few exceptions. The month started off ending Pesach, then a week in we remembered Holocaust Memorial Day; two weeks in, I.D.F. Memorial Day and Independence Day. The twenty first I started digging at Tel Burna with a mix of Israeli's, students and tourists. The dig lasted a week and uncovered new features and material belonging to the Iron Age and Late Bronze Age. Last week, Lag BaOmer marked the thirty-third day of the omer, a celebration venerating the memory of Shimon bar Yochai. This is done with camp fires and so fires and smoke dominated the city from Saturday night to Monday morning this year. These were the more significant happenings in April.
This month I have wrestled with what it looks like to embody injunctions to not worry about tomorrow, to rejoice always, and to love. Maybe it's all too cheeky to spell out three rather general trials, but they have been particularly challenging in light of old fires and new flames, tired chores and tricky applications, saying goodbye and awaiting opportunities. These personal challenges are not in any way unique to me. Though my experience of them perhaps provides a personalized set of variables, many have traveled through similar and more difficult roads, humbled by God's kindness and faithful in his service. And so it is, failing or falling doesn't determine the man, that we can get up each morning is itself a grace...
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