Proud of an Israeli Soldier I Never Knew

     It is the Jewish Press' 25th Anniversary here in Tampa and as I read an article in the paper I began to cry.
The article was about a Tampa Bay "Solidarity" mission to Israel during the Gulf War.  The Tampa mission was the ONLY group to go to and remain in Israel throughout the Scud missile attacks.  The part that made me tear up was when they told of a terrifying moment in their trip.  The 12 American Jews from Tampa, were seated at dinner.  The alarm of an impending missile strike went off and they were forced to abandon their meal and seek refuge at the highest point of the building (to avoid nerve gas).  They all donned their gas masks with one exception.  There was a very young girl, not much older than 18.    She was a soldier in the IDF.  She did not have a gas mask.  Many in the room offered their masks to her.  She refused, choosing instead to potentially offer up her own life to spare the lives of civillians.
     To me THIS IS Israel, Israelis, and every IDF soldier.  To me... THIS is what they stand for.  This is the mentality of the people there.  They would sacrifice anything to spare an innocent life, even if it meant offering up their own instead.  This is what I saw when I lived among them.  These people are kind, and incredibly giving.  They would give you anything they could if you were in need.  I love that about these people.
    Israel, and her people, give hope to the meaning of humanity, chivalry, courage.  They are a people to be truly proud of.  And as I do hold an Israeli citizenship... I am VERY proud to count myself as one among them.
     I may have only been a child of 6, not even an American citizen yet, when this soldier made such a brave choice; but her heart means as much to me now as it did for those 12 American souls in that room in the heart of the Gulf War Crisis.

Happy 25th Anniversary to the Jewish Press here in Tampa!  And thank you for sharing such a touching story.  It was a reminder of the good people I left behind in the land I call my home.

The Bear Over There

I'm sure you've noticed the bear over there.  It's a sad little thing, obviously it holds sentimental value for someone.  Though we're not sure who.  She sits in the corner, almost as if she's been abandoned.  Sad, lonely eyes, unable to tell anyone how she feels.  She's ripped, torn, bandaged and patched up.  She still surviving, but just barely.  Her future is uncertain.  No one is sure how long she will last the way she is going.  But someone, somewhere loves her enough not to let her go.  Though we're not sure who.

This bear is very symbolic for me.  I draw true comparisons  with her.  After all that I have seen and lived though in my life, this is how I feel inside.  This is how I see myself.  A bear that should have been tossed away a long time ago but for some reason, she is still sitting alone in the corner.

Rimes & Reasons Personal & Public Personas

     I always find writing so theraputic. Even if I am writing about nothing at all. I enjoy writing fiction and fact. But I find that when I am completely honest about my life, I hurt people. Why is everyone today so afraid of the truth? It seems to me as though our society today is nothing but lies. Think about it for just a moment. How many times have you lied either to yourself or to someone else today? No matter how tiny the lie seems. How many times this week? Be Honest.

See....

It's a lot. I became very religious a few years back and as a result my concience grew by leaps and bounds. As a result I stopped lying. Completely stopped. As nice as it was to always be honest with people, I also hurt a lot of people.

Sometimes a little white lie stops us from hurting someone. Like not telling a woman she looks fat when she asks, or telling a friend she is smart when she is clearly an airhead. But what good is it doing anyone? Maybe that woman needs to hear she's fat. Maybe it will help her get motivated. Maybe that "airhead" would go back to school or study harder and make more of an effort if SOMEONE would tell her she's not very bright.

I guess that brings me to the title of this post. I know you have noticed that I don't write very much anymore. Mostly that is because if I wrote exactly what I thought and felt, you would be thoroughly amused and entertained, but everyone would hate me.  People don't want to hear the truth.  I wish I could write anonymously.  I wish I could have an audience that reads my words, participates in dialogue, but never really knows who or where I am.

Update

I'm back in the US for the forseeable future. For those of you who don't know, I rushed home back in September after learning that my little sister was expecting a little one of her own!

I am currently living in Hell. Also known as my childhood home of New Port Richey. I work at a Synagogue in South Tampa and I enjoythe work for the most part.

I hate being back on the same continent as my family. Dad is back to his same old miserable self, and basically that part of my life sucks.

My sister is about a week away from giving birth now and I am no closer to deciding if I made the right decision about moving back or not. I am so happy to be able to be here for her and her daughter but I hate this place.

That's the update.

TTFN

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