Letters

Dear Jonathan...
I just finished reading another book, "The Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu." Jonathan or Yonatan (Yoni) was the commander of the Israeli force that freed that hostages at the Entebbe airport in July 1976. He was the only Israeli soldier killed during the operation. He began writing letters to his friends in Israel when he was 17 and his family moved to the States for his father's job. The last letter included in the book was written to his girlfriend a couple days before he flew to Uganda. It was a fascinating book both because of what he wrote about and the way in which he wrote. He is very close with his family and does not hesitate to express to them his love and respect for both his parents and his two younger brothers. There were several passages through out his letters that really spoke to me but only one that I will share today...

"Only rarely do I count the passing days in anticipation of some future event. When you do that, you lose the meaning of the moment - today, right now - and skip over weeks of your life longing for a day to come... which is a mistake, for there is always value to the present."

And this quote in turn reminded me of Matthew 6:33-34 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

You are also a testimony to me of the importance of focusing on today. I don't want to miss out on the blessings of today by being so caught up in what is next. I don't want to take the places and people I see today for granted. I don't know how many tomorrows are out there so I am going to do my best to enjoy today to the fullest.

Thanks for continuing to challenge and encourage me.
Love you!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Jonathan... so this is really going to be a test for your memory. Mom emailed me that David and Drew took a couple of the eighth grade boys to a MBraves game last night. It reminded me of the game YEARS and YEARS ago that we went to with Todd and Lendon . I have such a clear memory of that night. It was the Jackson Mets back then. And the outing was organized by John who was the youth minister back then. We were in elementary school. I remember Todd and Lendon coming to pick us up. I remember meeting at the church parking lot and riding the vans over to the stadium on Lakeland Drive. I remember walking into the stadium. And I have a vague recollection that Bill was riding on someone's shoulders and he fell off or got dropped. I remember having lots of fun and thinking how cool we were because the big kids wanted to hang out with us!

I love seeing how the tradition continues and how David takes the initiative!!

Love you!

4th of July

Dear Jonathan... I have some really clear memories of the 4th of July picnics at Grandpa Slick's. I remember the cart rides Dan and Patrick used to give us. I remember getting George stuck in the creek at least once usually two or three times during the jeep outing. I remember the piles of bbq ribs. I remember the elaborate watermelon carvings. I remember one year when we made a blueberry/strawberry cake decorated like the American flag. I remember lots of corn. I remember playing catch or bocce ball or croquet in the side yard. I remember hiking down the creek and walking across it on a fallen tree branch. I remember the whoopee cushion. I remember homemade ice cream. I remember the heat. And I remember the feeling of family... of love and acceptance... of laughter and fun... of being home.

I can't wait to be home.

I miss you lots. Every day. Some days more than others. But I always miss you.

What He Can't Do Anymore...

Hey Jonathan... So I wanted to tell you about this book... Beaufort. My friend, Mark, bought it a while back and loaned it to me to read. The preface starts out with a description of a game called "What He Can't Do Anymore" in which the narrator and his friends are listing all the different things their friend, Yonatan (Jonathan), can no longer do because he is dead. He will never break up with a girlfriend, get yelled at by his mother, drive to the beach, etc. etc. Never had I been more glad that I was reading the book in my own house... tears were streaming down my face. And suddenly all the things that you will never do began running through my head... there are the routine things... the adventures... and the family events... the stories... Of course, you don't miss doing those things. Of this I am confident. But we miss you being here. I miss sharing the routine and the extraordinary with you.

Anyway, when I first read the preface, I immediately thought "How dare Mark give me this book without some warning!" Seriously. I was all ready to call him and give him what for. And then I remembered that he had given me the book to read first. So he wasn't even aware of the connection it would have to me personally. And its not that I wouldn't have wanted to read the book... I just think I would have liked a warning.

The rest of the book was heavy and poignant and I found myself very emotionally involved. You find out more about the Yonatan which I will not share in case anyone wants to read the book. I also have Mark's copy of the movie but I haven't gotten up the nerve to watch it yet.

I miss you!
I love you!

Already June...

Hi Jonathan... I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I last wrote. Not because I haven't been thinking of you... rather the exact opposite. I have been so busy and thought of you so often that it is hard to sit down and put it into writing the things that remind me of you... the stories I remember... how often I talk about you. Sometime in the last month I told a friend that you were gone and he was shocked. He said, "You talk about him so often and as if he is here. I had no idea." I have a lot of funny stories to tell you... and pictures to share... oh and I just finished reading an incredibly powerful and moving book that I have got to tell you about... but I am in the middle of baking... so I will close now and write more later.
Love you!

Fanny Packs

Jonathan... so I may or may not have written about this before... but it is totally worth another mention... at your funeral, Jim told a great story about all the grief you gave him for wearing a fanny pack. It was quite funny and we all nodded and laughed knowingly. Every time I see someone wearing a fanny pack I think of you... and apparently I am not the only one. Emily Bracey Lewis sent a me a note a while back and then again this week telling me that she thinks of you and laughs every time she sees some poor guy wearing a fanny pack.

Well guess what! There is an all new fanny pack... guaranteed not to be as nerdy as the original fanny pack but I still don't think you would approve.

Here are a couple of pictures of a guy wearing one at a recent Israeli Independence Day Celebration...

From this angle, I'm thinking... ok... is he wearing a toolkit as a belt???


But then here... it is all clear. Nope... not a toolkit... Just the new and improved FANNY PACK!

What do you think? Want one for your next birthday?

Love you!
Kirsten

Remembering

Hi Jonathan. Tonight began Israel's Memorial Day. It is nothing like the American one. Stores, restaurants, movie theatres close. At 8pm a siren sounds and the entire country stops for a minute. I was on the bus tonight coming home from tutoring and just before eight, the driver stopped in the road and turned the bus off. As the siren began, everyone on the bus stood, people stopped in the street to remember those who lost their lives for the sake of Israel be it as soldiers in the IDF or victims of terrorist attacks. I then went to Kikar Rabin where the municipality was hosting a memorial concert. A wide range of Israeli musicians performed songs to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Between songs, interviews with family members who have lost loved ones were shown. I understood very little, but it was extremely powerful to watch these parents, spouses, and siblings share. I watched one wife talk about her husband who died in June of 1967. Over 40 years ago. Four years of missing you has been difficult... I can't imagine forty.

There is a song by Jo Dee Messina that popped into my head during the ceremony. I doubt if it has ever even been played here in Israel... country music hasn't quite made it this far... but it seems quite appropriate for today.

"Heaven Was Needing a Hero"

I came by today to see you
I had to let you know
If I knew the last time that I held you was the last time
I'd have held you and never let go

It's kept me awake nights, wondering
Lie in the dark, just asking why
I've always been told
You won't be called home
Until it's your time

I guess heaven was needing a hero
Somebody just like you
Brave enough to stand up
For what you believe
And follow it through
When I try to make it make sense in my mind
The only conclusion I come to
Is heaven was needing a hero
Like you

I remember the last time I saw you
You held your head up proud
I laughed inside
When I saw how you were standing out in the crowd
You're such a part of who I am
Now that part will just be void
No matter how much I need you now
Heaven needed you more

Cause heaven was needing a hero
Somebody just like you
Brave enough to stand up
For what you believe
And follow it through
When I try to make it make sense in my mind
The only conclusion I come to
Is heaven was needing a hero
Like you

Heaven was needing a hero
and that's you

I love you!
Kirsten

Are you laughing?

Jonathan...
I have two tv shows that I watch regularly now, The Office, which you would LOVE, and Grey's Anatomy, which you would not love.

In this week Grey's episode, one of the characters made a statement to another character that totally resonated with me.

"You know whenever anyone says something really funny and I laugh. I always look around to see if you think it is funny too. Even when you're not there. I still look around."

That is how I feel. Even now four years later. I go on some adventure like hiking in Petra or boating down the Nile or touring the Taj Mahal and 'skiing' on Mt. Hermon and I look around to share the moment with you. I watch a movie and I know you would love it, I hear a song and I know you would play it... loudly, I read an article in the newspaper and I know you would be interested in it... and I want to share it with you. My computer freaks out, the car starts overheating, I don't know which kind of lightbulb to buy... and I want to call you! :)

I miss you.

I love you.

Madrid

Hi Jonathan!
So Israel's premier basketball team made it to the Final Four of the Euroleague Championship. They played an Italian team from Sienna tonight in Madrid. The game started out really bad. They only scored 8 points in the first quarter and were down by 18 points in the first half. It was not pretty at all. The second half went much much better and then ended up with a win. It was an exciting ending and now they will play in the Championship game on Sunday night.
I was reminded of the Spring Break when Larina and I visited you in Alicante. We spent a few days exploring Madrid as well. One of my favorite pictures of the two of us is in the gardens of one of the palaces there. I also love the photo of the three of us in front of one of those big black bulls that were all around the countryside advertising some kind of beer.
Oh and I remember that fire festival in Valencia. Wow! That was a crazy parade. And what a fun trip. Do you remember packing up that sword that I bought? The King Arthur one. We put it in the box... duct taped the box... then wrapped the box in a blue and green flowered sheet... then taped the sheet up with duct tape. It was hideous and most certainly would not make it through security today! :)
Love you!

A Red Bull Day

Dear Jonathan... Wow... lots of excitement going on around here this month. I have been thinking of you so often and just have not had the time to write. Monika has been visiting for the Pesach holiday. We stayed in Tel Aviv for the seder with Rachel and her fiancee and her mom. Then we took off exploring from Beersheva to Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee to the Golan Heights and back to Tel Aviv. It was great fun.
Then yesterday morning my phone started ringing at 6:12am. I flipped it open and saw "HOME" and my heart fluttered. I sort of have this complex about random calls from home now. I generally know when Mom or Dad will call and my previous experience with unexpected calls sort of lends me to expect bad news. Anyway - this time it was the VERY best news. Lydia and Josh are engaged!!! I couldn't be happier. Mom called so that I was on the phone when they walked into the house. I heard the whole gang screaming and got to hear details from Lydia. They are so cute. I can't believe our Lil' Lydie is ENGAGED. It was so fun hearing all the excitement and I am certainly thrilled... although I will admit that it is incredibly hard not being there. I cried a bit after getting off the phone with them because I hate missing these moments.
I did have fun telling everyone here about it. They were all very impressed with Josh's creativity. Everyone came to my apartment last night for a goodbye Monika/congrats Lydia and Josh dinner. :) And we made a video of congratulations for them.
Monika had to be at the airport at 3am so we didn't get any sleep and I only got back home at 5:30am. I slept for a few hours before heading off to class and now I have to go to a birthday dinner... So I had my first Israeli Red Bull this afternoon before class and hopefully I will not yawn too much through the party. :)
Love you lots!