On February 8, 2002, I arrived in the morning. I was picked up from Ben Gurion airport by my aunt and my cousin. Before the sun set on that day, we planted an almond tree in my aunt’s yard. The tree and I have had our challenges; we’ve grown – one of us taller, one of us wider as well as emotionally, intellectually, and in spirit. And both the tree and I are still here – with thanks to my aunt who has been there for both of us.

After I wrote the previous post about The Waiting Place – and coincidentally thinking about poetry – I remembered that one of my favorite poems from high school was “Still Here” by Langston Hughes. I’m not generally a fan of poetry, but sometimes a poem says more than any 1,000-word essay. “Still Here,” I think, tells the story of me, my almond tree, and the people of Israel today and through all time.

Today, February 9, 2024, is the first day of my and my tree’s 23rd year in Israel. Today is the 126th day of the Israel-Hamas war and the 126th day 136 people have been held hostage in unknown conditions. May all of us have the strength to cling to hope, embrace joy, and continue to say: “I’m still here.”