44 More Days!

That's right.  In 44 days I will be on a plane high above the ocean, winging my way to the beautiful land of Israel. 

My Passport issue has been solved (have I mentioned my passport issue?  The fact that all four of our passports from our trip to the US in December are all lost - but inside our house!?  That I had to apply for a replacement and it came 2 days before they told me it was even going to be mailed?  Of course, it now has a nice sticker in it that will let any immigration people know that my original was lost.  I suppose it's more to say "this is the REAL passport and anyone travelling under the other passport number is a fraud!!)

I will be participating in the  Jewish Women's Renaissance Project "Transform and Grow" (T.A.G.) trip, October 2011!! (for more info go to http://www.jwrp.org/)

So this has made me reflect.  What does the Land of Israel mean?

For Christians, it is the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.  For Muslims, the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount is where Mohammed ascended to Heaven and where the mosque is decorated with verses from the Koran.  For Jews, Temple Mount is where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.

It's amazing to think that the Christians, Jews and Muslims all have such significant ties to the land, yet, there is always so much struggle, strife and conflict in the nation.

What am I looking forward to about my trip?  Well, for starters, it is my first trip to the Holy Land.  I've never been to Israel! 
I can't wait to see the Western Wall The Kotel, and to pray there and put notes from my family and friends in the wall. 
I can't wait to see Jerusalem.  As much of it as I possibly can. 
I can't wait to see Tiberias and the Jordan River!  And Tsfat!
I can't wait to climb Masada (okay - take a cable car up Masada). 
I can't wait to float in the Dead Sea.
I can't wait to eat in Sarah and Abraham's tent.
I can't wait to meet the 58 other people going on this trip from Toronto and the other two cities in the US that will be on the trip.
I can't wait to spend Shabbat in the Holy Land
I can't wait to find out what our Madrichim have to teach us women about our culture, our religion and our values.
I can't wait to bring all these lessons home and teach them to my family and friends.
I can't wait to see what transformation  I will undergo on this trip.
I can't wait to see what I will learn.  There is so much!!
I can't wait to spend an evening on Ben Yehuda Street and eat gelato and go to Aroma!
I can't wait to SHOP!!!  I want to get some skirts and tichels! 

I'm sure there are a million other things I can't wait to do that I don't even know I can't wait to do until I get there and realize I couldn't wait to do those things!!

44 more days!!