Snow Day in Jerusalem

Friday  morning I woke up to this sight on my way to the bathroom:

And these sights:

Of course I had to go put my foot in it,

and make a snowball.  

Later that morning it started snowing heavily.

This is the picture of "hell" frozen over...

I wanted to go sledding on the roof.

 Through the swirling snow we caught a glimpse of a small snowman.

 But it wasn't long before the snow stopped and the sun came out.

 Poor little snowman (and his miniature companion that I quickly constructed) didn't last too long...

 It's kind of fun to see the snow on "tropical" plants.

I guess I brought some snow with me from Montana this time.  

"Where's it coming from?"

Such was the response of a friend when first told the title of today's field study: Jerusalem Approaches. "And how does a city move, anyway?"

Today was my second time on this field study, examining approaches TO the city of Jerusalem. Last time I went we were interrupted by an ignorant rock, set on shattering our dreams of becoming world-famous historical geographers. It failed, instead shattering only one of our bus's windows. Still, it did cut the day's outing short. This time around we cleverly avoided flying rocks and had a wonderful day in the field.

We spent most of our time looking at the city of Jerusalem, finding where the ancient routes would have gone, and comparing the look of the land on either side of the watershed ridge.

Favorite parts of the day?

1. Just getting out, reviewing sites and routes, and enjoying the beautiful weather.

2. Getting to know some of the new students a little better.

3. Seeing some new-to-me sites

a. We got to walk through part of the cemetery on the Mt. of Olives. I'm sure that's something I could enjoy looking through for some time, but it was fun to get a little bit of a feel for it.

b. The Russian Orthodox site commemorating the Garden of Gethsemane. This church is usually close to the public, so it was fun to get a brief chance to see it. I'll have to go back someday and get pictures - it's beautiful.

c. A threshing floor just outside of Bethlehem. Too bad my Boaz wasn't there. :)

d. The grotto in the church next to the church of the Nativity - apparently where Jerome lived and worked on translating the Bible?

e. A place on the Promenade, further along that I had been, where we could see the city.

4. Listening to Dr. Wright's teaching again. On the Mt. of Olives we paused to talk about the flight and return of David with Absalom's rebellion and defeat. Think of the excitement that would have been felt by David's faithful subjects as he returned, victorious. The Bible doesn't say much about that, but it records a similar entrance to Jerusalem, about 1000 years later, as the Son of David came to his own people and kingdom, knowing that instead of welcoming him as the heir of David, they would shortly crucify him.

All in all, a very good day. Really, some of you should visit. You'd like it. :)

Western Wall Tunnels, Part 2

The people who run the tunnels are, perhaps, a bit biased, a quality rarely found in Jerusalem. (Yes, that was sarcasm. Everyone in Jerusalem is biased. Especially when it comes to this small piece of real estate.) The tunnels are, of course, run by Jews, Jews who would probably favor the building of a third temple, should that ever become possible. While this is probably a common desire in Judaism, it is by no means universal, even among religious Jews. For example, my professor, Rabbi Moshe, is very uncomfortable with the idea of a third temple, and with the political and religious stance of the people who run the tunnel, with good reason, I think. In Classical Rabbinical Literature, the temple and cult system have been replaced by prayer and Torah study. This was done out of necessity - after 70AD there was no temple, nor any hope of rebuilding one, and if Judaism was to survive, changes had to be made. Of course, the changes made, though pragmatic, were backed up with arguments typical of the religious leaders of that day. Verses like Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." and Micah 6:6-8 were referenced, pointing out a theme that played throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: God never desired the sacrifice alone, His real concern was the heart behind the sacrifice. Other Rabbis argued that revelation was progressive: God first asked Israel to offer sacrifices to Him because they would have sacrificed to something. Then, once the faith had progressed and the One True God was known, sacrifices were no longer needed and worship of God changed as the Temple was destroyed.

Thus, for some Jews at least, the temple is no longer necessary, or even desirable, especially considering the current political situation.

It has to be faced. The Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock is a hot spot. Jews and Christians are after it, Muslims control it, and at the slightest hint of a change in the status quo, everyone is up in arms. This fall the situation has been tense, with Muslims taking what we might consider relatively minor issues as a huge threat. Rocks are thrown, Israeli police are sent in, Muslims get even more worried...It can be a vicious cycle. For Jews who truly want peace in a world where the very breath of a rumor about a temple can spark another intifada, there is little incentive to want a third temple.

I think I will save further comments for another blog post. For now, here are some pictures and explanations of what we actually saw on our field study.

Here Rabbi Moshe shows us a model of the hill upon which the mount was built, both before the platform and with the platform. Right now a very disproportionate Second Temple is on the platform.

Here is another model of the Temple Mount. There is again a disproportionate Second Temple model on top of the mount (probably due to the pro-temple bias of the organization). The western wall can be seen, with the plaza and buildings that are along it today.

Here we are, walking through a tunnel along part of the platform wall. You can see on my right part of a very large Herodian stone. I don't have the exact figures, but I believe the largest of these stones weighed around 600 tons. How such a stone could even be moved, especially with the technology of the first century is beyond my imagination.

These are candles lit in the area which is "opposite the foundation stone and the site of the Holy of Holies." There is a synagogue in this tunnel complex, but apparently only men are allowed in, so the women pray in this area.

Back outside the walls I got a picture of the plaza. (The Dome of the Rock is on top of the plaza, off the left side of the picture.)

Here's a view of the area at night, from sort of a south-west direction.

Western Wall Tunnels, Part 1

This last Thursday evening I went, with my Rabbinical Thought and Literature class and our professor Rabbi Moshe, to the Western Wall Tunnels. For those of you unfamiliar with this site, let me give you some background information.

You will doubtless remember from long forgotten Sunday school lessons, that David (and Joab) conquered Jebus (Jerusalem) and made it his capital. (Hint: for a refresher, see 1 Chronicles 11.) This is the area today known as "The City of David," on the Eastern Hill, located between the Kidron Valley and the Cheese-maker's Valley. Of course you also remember the story a little later of the plague that God sent on Israel that stopped when David offered sacrifices on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24). Keep in mind that threshing floors are high points, and the closest high point to Jerusalem was directly north (the upper part of the Eastern Hill). Add to this 2 Chronicles 3:1 ("Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.") and we have the beginning of our story in the beginning of the temple. The majority view is that Solomon's temple (the first temple) was built due north of the City of David, under the area where the Dome of the Rock is now.

Of course, between Solomon's time and our own there are dozens of layers of history. The first temple was destroyed by the army of Nebuchadnezzar in 586BC. It was rebuilt ("Second Temple") by Ezra, and was finished about 516BC.

Then Herod the Great came along and decided that temple needed improvement. It was, perhaps, the most ambitious building project he ever undertook: it wasn't finished until 60AD, over 60 years after Herod's death. It was, at least, a stunning complex of buildings when finished, one of the wonders of the ancient world. However, in the planning stages, Herod was not content to merely use what nature had supplied. No. The hill upon which the current temple stood was not big enough for the grandiose structure he desired to erect. So he began by expanding the hill, fashioning vaults and filling in earth, creating a platform grand enough to hold a glorious temple.

That temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Today, all the remains is the platform, upon which the Dome of the Rock now sits. The only piece of the original hill that is still visible is the rock inside the dome, from whence it draws its name.

(Note: at this point I should mention that there is still some amount of scholarly debate over where the temple actually was, and if the structure which is today called "The Temple Mount" ever actually held the temple. However, the case stated above seems to be the majority view, so for the sake of this blog post, we'll assume they are correct.)

I suppose it is reasonable that the Jews would revere the platform upon which their most holy site had stood, but why the Western wall (which, by the way, they never called "The Wailing Wall")? The answer, of course, lies in classical rabbinic literature: "The Shekinah is in the west." Probably because the Holy of Holies would have been on the western side of the structure, the western wall of the structure is now the most revered.

Which brings me (finally) to the tunnels. When the Jews first gained control of Old Jerusalem and the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock area in 1967, one of the first things they did was bulldoze an area west of the Western Wall, giving Jews the opportunity (and the room) to visit the wall for the first time in years. However, they only cleared a relatively small area, compared to the length of the wall. The tunnels start just north of that plaza and continue on, exploring the extent of Herod platform, under the modern homes and places of business of the people of the Arab Quarter. Parts of these tunnels are open to tourists (by appointment) and that's where we went.

Now that you have enough background information, I'm going to pause for the night and continue these thoughts in a second post tomorrow.

A few pictures...

...From Yom Kippur.

Would it be bad if I said that my favorite day here in Jerusalem is probably Yom Kippur? It's just so peaceful. The eternal din of engines and horns and sirens is finally silenced as everyone, religious and secular Jews alike, take a day to rest and reflect. It's a little magical. The smell of flowers is noticeable as the odor of exhaust dissipates. Children ride their bikes down the middle of the street, laughing together. Groups of people, families and friends, dressed in white, forsake the sidewalks in favor of walking on the street.

It was a good day to explore a little and take some pictures.

When I went to the library a little later I was surprised by how silent it was. Every little noise I made seems to make a racket. Then I realized that there was no ambient noise of traffic and horns floating in. It made a huge difference.

Alas, the city has now returned to its normal noisy state...until next year...

Christian Communities in the East

Today I went on my first (and probably one of my only) field studies this semester.

I admit, I didn't enjoy it as much as it probably deserved. It was hot, I was tired, and I'd already been to many of the churches and monasteries that we visited. Still, some of them were new, and some of the old ones were seen under different circumstances, so it was interesting.

This particular field study was for the Christian Communities in the East class, taught by Petra Heldt. She is very passionate about both the eastern churches and the Jewish people, so quite a bit of today was spent learning about how there is dialogue and cooperation happening between various Christian and Jewish groups (sometimes also Palestinian).

We visited...let's see if I remember...

1. The Monastery of St. John of the Desert, a Franciscan monastery. Apparently, the Franciscans have been in the country for 800 years now, according to Petra, the only Catholic group that was somehow allowed to stay after the Muslims kicked out the Christians. It was fun to see this sight while not dodging raindrops.

2. The "Moscovia" Monastery? Not quite sure of it's name...but its a Russian Orthodox Monastery. With a fairly new church (build since the re-unification of the Red and White Russians in the land) with beautiful gold domes.

3. The Visitation Church (celebrates where Mary visited Elizabeth and sung the Magnificat, and where Elizabeth and John hid from the soldiers who came to kill John). Claim to fame: The Magnificat on a wall in hundereds of different languages.

Side note: At this point (and a few others in the trip) we discussed non-cannonical stories about John, Jesus, Mary, and Elizabeth. Very interesting. I think it's a bit unfortunate how little we in the west know about our "roots" in the east.

4. The Monastery of the Sisters of Zion. By this point in the trip I was quite warm, quite low on blood sugar, and quite unable to give my full attention. But they had some pretty flowers. :) (And, from what I did hear, it sounds like they do some good things in the land.)

5. LUNCH!

6. The Monastery of the Holy Cross. I'd been here before as well.

7. Syriac Church in Jerusalem. I'd also been to that compound, but this time we met with a different guy and actually got to see their church. I didn't realize that they also claimed to be built over the location of the Last Supper. Of course, for every event that took place in this land, there are at least two sights that claim "It was here!"

8. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As I've already spent several hours in this church, I felt less guilty when I skipped out early and went home. I was a bit exhausted.

And then I came home...ah...a relatively cool flat, and really cool flat-mates, are good to come home to. :) Just for kicks, here's a picture from the road outside my apartment of sunset over Jerusalem.

Archaeology of Jerusalem...

March 15, 2009

Today we had yet another field study, this one for Archaeology. We were going to look at the Southern Wall excavations, but due to the rain, we headed instead to the Wohl Museum. This is another place that I had been to on my first visit to the city and hadn't yet re-visited. I don't remember much about my first visit, but I have no doubt that we were given more information this time around. :)

From the late 40's to the early 60's the Jewish quarter in the old city was under the control of the Jordanian government and by the time it was re-take by the state of Israel in the 60's, much of it had been destroyed. Some of the buildings were at least partially salvageable, but many were only rubble. These later buildings were cleared away in preparation for re-building. However, before construction commenced, the Israelis realized that this was a rare opportunity to "look under the skirt of the city" (as my professor put it) and so they commenced to excavate on these newly cleared areas. Nahman Avigad was in charge of the excavations. About 30 different areas in the Jewish Quarter of the old city were excavated. They found a variety of different finds from different periods, some dating all the way back to the Iron Age (or First Temple Period). After the excavations were finished, buildings were, of course, placed over all of these sites. However, in many cases the buildings were built so that the discoveries under them would still be accessible. In the case of the Wohl Museum, one specific time period is conserved for display - the second temple period. (Everything else was either removed or coverd up so as not to confuse visitors.)

What Avigad found in this area, and what we subsequently explored today, is a few very large mansions: rich, luxurious, and apparently belonging to Jews, as evidenced by the numerous mikvaot (ritual baths). We saw quite a few mosaics, pillars, frescoes, various household implements, and coins. All of these things were likely destroyed/buried in 70AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. They give us quite a lot of insight into the time in which the New Testament was written. I won't bore you with the details of what kinds of pottery was used for what, but rest assured that we were given very detailed explanations of things that you never even knew existed. :)

We then ventured out in the rain again (not hard rain, just enough to make my notes completely illegible). We looked a little at excavations near the temple mount, and then at excavations along the modern day southern wall. It's an incredibly complex city. Everywhere you look there are archaeological remains, and most likely the remains are a mixture of 3 different times (and probably 3 different religions). Even on our own campus we have remains of a tower and a wall that were part of the "First wall" from Hasmonean times. One could study this city for a life time and not even begin to know all of her secrets.

It was a wet and cold morning, and I was glad to get home, but it was good to learn and soak up a little of Gabi's knowledge of the city.

Happy Purim!

Ask a Jewish person, "What is the holiest holiday of the year?" and what do you expect to hear?

"Yom Kippur" you say, "The day of Atonement is clearly the holiest day of the year for Jews."

Well, maybe. Or maybe, just maybe you'd get the surprising answer of "Purim!"

"What?" you exclaim. "Purim isn't even mentioned in the Torah, much less commanded. It's from a book that barely made it into the Hebrew cannon of scriptures because it never mention's God's name. How could such a holiday ever be considered the holiest one?!"

Well, I'm not sure I totally understand it all myself, but let me try to explain. First, why compare Yom Kippur with Purim? Apparently the full name for the Day of Atonement in Hebrew is "Yom Kippurim." "Ki" means "like," so it could be taken to mean "Day that is Like Purim," giving Purim sort of a higher standing than Yom Kippur just by the names. In addition, Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and mourning over sin whereas Purim is a day of celebration and feasting. Apparently it is thought that it takes more holiness to truly worship God during a celebration than when you are mourning. Perhaps they have a point. At any rate, sometimes Purim is considered the holiest holiday on the Jewish calender.

So today I had a class on Jewish Thought and Practice where we learned about Purim (including why it is considered the holiest holiday) and tonight for a sort of "field study" we all went to Synagogues to experience the evening reading of Esther for ourselves.

"Wait a minute," you say. I thought Purim was celebrated the 13th of Adar...and isn't today the 14th?" You are, of course, correct. In most of the world, Purim is celebrated on the 13th of Adar (March 9th this year). However, the Jews in Shushan assembled on both the 13th and 14th (Esther 9:18). Because Shushan (Susa) was a walled city, at some point some Rabbis decided that Jews in walled cities should celebrate Purim on the 14th. And they have a pretty odd way of deciding which cities are considered walled. At any rate, Jerusalem is one (probably the main one) so in the city of Jerusalem proper, Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar.

I can't say too much about the actual celebration itself. Esther is read at night and then the next morning, and then there is supposed to be some sort of great feast involving lots of wine. I have only been to the evening reading, but I can tell you at little about that.

Purim is ever so slightly like Halloween, in that everyone dresses up. I was in down town Jerusalem Monday night and there were quite a few people going about in costumes - cat's ears, farie wings, etc. At Synagogue tonight almost everyone was dressed, well, a little unusually. Colorful wigs and hats were common, as were masks and face paint. Some people continued the theme in the rest of their outfit. There were witches and giant pink bunnies. There were some girls from the IDF with their guns and purple wings on their back - not a common sight in the US! There were children dressed as lions, bears, American Indians, Bob the Builder, Superman, and cowboys.

It was pretty fun to see everyone's costumes. I personally dressed as a carrot. Not the best costume in the world, but really, this is the third time I've had to come up with a costume and I just didn't prepare for that when I packed!

In class this morning we talked about whether or not women should be allowed to read Esther at the Synagogue. Some sources said yes, some said no. Apparently at the synagogue I went to women were allowed to read. I think we had 5 readers (2 chapters each) and I think three of them were women...and they were kind of hard to hear. Oh well.

It was an orthodox Synagogue, though perhaps more, um, "modern" than some. The men and women were separated by a thin curtain, but at least it wasn't women in the back, men in the front. The whole thing was in Hebrew. I was able to follow along a little in the reading. Of course, when the name "Haman" was read, everyone shouted and rattled their noise makers and stomped and otherwise just made lots of noise

to "blot out the name", and that helped me to find where we were when I got lost. :)

It was an interesting experience, for sure. I rather like this excuse to dress up better than Halloween. Perhaps I'll start celebrating Purim more often. :)

The Temple Mount

This morning (or rather, yesterday morning - I've had some issues with uploading pictures) Amy and I took advantage of a canceled class to make another attempt to summit the temple mount. Don't get the wrong impression. It's really not much of a "mount" and not at all difficult to climb. It is, however, difficult to find a time that it's open. I think it's supposed to be open from about 8-11am. But that means very little here.

Today we got there around 9:30 and were in luck! It was open, and up we went.

We spent most of our time on the eastern side of the platform, alternating between looking across at the Mount of Olives and back towards the Dome of the Rock. We even climbed up on the wall encircling the platform for a better view.
It had been rainy and cloudy, but every now and then the clouds would clear and few rays of sunlight would alight on the golden dome, making it shine almost as brightly as the sun itself.(As beautiful as the Dome itself is, with its amazing architecture and mosaics, I think it looks even better surrounded by green trees and a blue, cloudy sky.)

One thing that both Amy and I remarked on was the amount of trash they have even there, on the 3rd holiest Muslim site in the world. Then again, it does seem to be a bit of a construction site, and I have yet to see a completely trashless construction site.

As we were about to get down from the wall some guy started yelling at us to hurry and leave. I think they were closing to tourists. We were quite a ways from the entrance where we came in so we took quite a bit of time in trying to get out (and still ended up going out a different exit) but at least we had a little extra time to snap a few shots - without extraneous tourist blocking the scenery!

After we had exited we came across some sort of tour group, accompanied by none other than my archaeology professor, Gabi Barkai. I'm quite sure he doesn't know my name, but he seemed to recognize me and we talked for a second. (Back home I run into people I know around town all the time...I think this may be the first time it's happened in Jerusalem.)

As we made our way back to the school we passed the Dormition Abbey and decided to stop there too.
It is a beautiful church, built by Kaiser Wilhelm for the German Catholics, I believe. It is one of the traditional sights where Mary supposedly died or "fell asleep." They have some very beautiful mosaics in the main sanctuary (including a floor mosaic with the signs of the Zodiac, the minor prophets, the major prophets, and the trinity), and then some other interesting things in the crypt.
So that was yesterday's adventure. I'm going to have to make an effort have more of my own adventures, since I won't be doing as much group travel as last semester.

First Impression, Second Impressions

This new semester has been sort of an odd juxtaposition of new things and old things. I spent a full semester in this room, (sorry, it's rather poorly stitched together, but you get the idea)
at this school, in this city,
in this country. Some things are wonderfully familiar. On the other hand, that semester was in the fall, with an entirely different group of people and classes. Some things are amazingly different. I will try to sort my thoughts into those two categories, and probably fail miserably, but hey.

First Impressions?
1. New students started arriving on Friday. I think I've met most of them, though certainly not all, and I don't remember all of their names. There are a lot of Steve's, Matt's, Mark's, and Jo(h)n's. (Feeling Biblical, parents, weren't we?) Good recipe for confusion.
2. It's a much smaller group than last semester, which is sort of nice. At least in some ways. There are a total of 34 students living on campus.
3. There are two new girls here for the grad program - yay! More long-termers.
4. There are actually more guys than girls on campus this semester, though most are undergraduates, for you wannabe matchmakers out there. :) Nonetheless, that's a rather unique situation from most Christian contexts I've been in.
5. There is one Canadian, one Norwegian, one from Hong Kong, and a couple MKs from Kenya. I guess that adds a bit to our cultural diversity. :)
5b. I think I'm still the only Montanan on campus. (One student's wife grew up in MT.)
6. It's kind of different to be one of the "returners." Perhaps a little like it is at Clydehurst? One wants to be helpful and welcoming, and still avoid being a know-it-all. It's so great to see the other returners - it's comfortable being with them. But on the other hand, one wants to avoid any semblence of a new-people-excluding clique.
7. I ate my first whole kumquat the other day. It was a bit weird, but tasty.
8. I went to Jerusalem Baptist Church on Sunday with a few other students. It was interesting, but I don't think I'll make it my "home." I do need to work on finding/deciding on a home church, though.
9. I discovered today that there is a Mechanical Engineering major here. Yay! Someone who will get some of my geeky jokes!
10. I finally brough my first JUC shirt today.
11. I finally went shopping at Shabban's and got a couple skirts. His "new" remodled shop is now open.

Second Impressions?
1. I've been pondering how different it feels to arrive here in the winter (spring semester) as opposed to the summer (fall semester). While it's not terribly cold (it reminds me of spring in Montana, or the the weather during staff training) it's also not terribly warm. Jackets, coats, sweatshirts, hats, scarves, and gloves are all rather welcome.
2. This contrast was especially apparent as some of us returning students accompanied the new geography students on their first "field study" around the Old City. On our first tour I remember distinctly being very warm and sweaty. Especially when we went and saw the tomb of Joseph of Aramathea inside the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. This time, I have to admit that it was really nice to go inside that rather tight and enclosed area of the church to soak up a little extra warmth.
3. Speaking of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I finally got to go inside the actual "tomb" of Jesus for the first time. (Since we had heard most of Dr. Wright's teaching on these things before, some of us we a bit less attentive to him and a bit more attentive to other details).4. I also love listening to the different groups chanting in the church.
5. I'm getting more used to the smell of insense.6. I feel fairly comfortable in my ability to avoid getting helplessly lost in the Old City, but I'm not entirely certain of being able to find anything on the first try. :)
7. I've been here nearly a week and have yet to be bitten by a mosquito or see a lizard. Cats, however, are still quite common. In fact, I seem to be seeing cats everywhere today. There was a cat outside my window when I got up this morning (my window looks out on a 3-story-high roof) and there was one peering over the stairs at me just now.
8. I saw my Hebrew teacher today. After he told me that he forgot I was coming back but he was very good to see me, he told me I did very well on my final last semester. Well, that's encouraging. :)
9. It's a little greener than it was in the fall, but we are still in desperate need of rain.
10. Pretty sure all the warm weather last semester has turned me into a wimp. :)
11. People in Jerusalem are still crazy. I mean, well, I guess different cultures react different ways to their "holy" city. I, for one, have no desire to parade around the town with drums, dancing and singing. Apparently some people do. Whatever makes your socks go up and down.12. I've come to have a higher opinion of the value of tradition than I had at the beginning of last semester.
13. I still have much to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...but I rather dislike it when people pick a side and cling to it tenaciously. Biblically speaking, there are clearly right and wrong aspects of both sides.

Random thoughts:
1. I found out yesterday that some people are not familiar with the phrase "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," not to mention "Don't sniff a gift fish." ;) I suppose they also would be confused by "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" and, of course, "Beware of bears greeking gifts" would be a total mystery. (If you get the reference in that last one, major kudos.)
2. I learned that about 30,000 people live in the old city. In has an area of about 220 acres. My parent's house is situated "on" about 80 acres. Multiply that area by three and the crowd the population of Bozeman into it. That's crazy.
3. I'm looking forward to having a falafel. :)
4. I got to sit in a hammock!
5. This is one of the driest winters in Israel since...I don't know when, but apparently quite a while. And they're already in a drought.
6. It did rain the other night, and I went up on the roof with Amy to see the lightening.
7. I'm going to quit trying to think of other things that have struck me since returning and just publish this post.