Only a couple days into 2011 my work approved my leave of absence to go to Israel in the fall. From there the framework of the year was set as I applied, was accepted, and continued with preparations. As I begin 2012, Iām lost as to what may happen. I had hoped to get some greater sense of direction for my life while I was gone. Instead, I feel reassured to continue with where I left off before I departed.
Last night, we finally got some long overdue snow. I woke up this morning to see the world coated with a bright, white blanket. It reminded me of the last Calvin and Hobbes comic from 16 years ago, as Calvin and Hobbes, carrying their toboggan, venture into the fresh snowfall:
Calvin: Wow, it really snowed last night! Isn’t it wonderful?
Hobbes: Everything familiar has disappeared! The world looks brand new!
Calvin: A new yearā¦ a fresh, clean start!
Hobbes: It’s like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on!
Calvin: A day full of possibilities! It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddyā¦ ā¦let’s go exploring!
Since my travels are done, does that mean the end of this blog? Absolutely not! I had planned from the beginning that this would continue, although in a different form. There are many stories I didnāt have a chance to cover in my short time in Israel (trust me, it felt short!). I would also like to take a step back and look at other material in greater detail and draw applications out of what I saw and learned. And who knows what other adventures Iāll have to document along the way? Each day is full of possibilities!
I hope youāll join me as I continue to upload more bytes of Israel…