As the war ended and the ceasefire held, I was going to have a few posts:
One about my trip to Nahariya, where I'd just meant to go to the beach, but ended up seeing, without even wanting to, just like that on my way to the beach, eight sites where rockets exploded. A sudden devastation amidst what seems like a normal city. Charred ground, burnt trees, crashed fences, crushed walls, wholes, dust. I couldn't even bring myself to take pictures. It felt like invading a privacy, like taking a picture of someone dead...
And I wanted to tally up the war for all those who like numbers and tell you how out of the 3,970 known rockets and missiles that fell in northern Israel (many others were never found and therefore not accounted fo), about a quarter fell on Kiryat Shmona. About 125-150 fell within a five miles radius from my parents' place. 750,000 trees were burnt, thousands of buildings are damaged, about a 150 people died, ten times as much are wounded, and an x amount of limbs are lost.
I wanted to tell you about the nice things - the good people who volunteered to feed abandoned pets, put out fires, supply food to shelters. The good people who opened their homes to families from the north, or the ones who donated money.
I wanted to tell you about the bad things too...
But ever since the ceasefire I try to just have fun, trying hard to ignore everything else. I've stopped watching the news, stopped reading, listening or anything that remotely reminds me of news. Right now I choose to put my head in the sand and ignore the voices. Because right now every bit of news that does manage to filter through and reach me is bad - from N.Korea trying out nukes to crazy terrorist plots to culture wars and to the imminent world war III. I feel like the ground under my feet can, at any moment, disappear. It isn't a post traumatic thing, it's simply the way things are.
I've never been a pessimist, and I'm still not. I'm going to fight this. I'm going to continue to reach out to people on the basis of peace and understanding. On the basis that most of us want the same thing out of life.
So that's all folks. I'm wrapping up my own little war blog but hope to still see the new visitors around occasionally.
I do, however, hope to never do this again.
Peace.
Out.
6 comments:
I will never forget, or cease to be aware, that each piece of news has people behind it and that "that most of us want the same thing out of life". I'll tell you one last time how grateful I am that you've shared your experiences and your thoughts. And tell you also how grateful I am that you're alive to "try to just have fun." I'm glad that you can still see the good things, and hope that you know that many of us count your courage in our lists of good things. All the best to you now.
Melly, I am so glad that you posted and glad you are taking some time for yourself to relax with your family.
stay well.
Welcome home Melly...enjoy some down time.
Glad you and your mishpacha made it through... sad that so many had to die. THanks for keeping us close to the real situation.
I'm glad you and your family made it through this ordeal. Like you, I feel that World War III is imminent but try not to think about it. There's nothing I can do but take care of my own corner of the world and pray that these politicians don't destroy it.
Thanks again for sharing your experience with us. I hope you don't have to go through this again, either.
Just checking in. Hope everything is okay with you and your family.
Post a Comment