Sunset

My parents are here in Israel for a month. It's not their first time here; I can't say exactly how many, but the number is double digit and accumulated days easily qualifies them for an application for permanent residence.

Mom has been poking a camera at everything that catches her eye ever since I can remember. It's almost a family joke. It's not just kids and birthdays like most moms. She has captured bugs and weeds and strangers on film over the years, and imprisoned their images in stacks of unmarked cartons in their basement.

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Mom's routine when she's here is taking a walk on the security road running around our moshav in the cool of the day before dark. Sometimes she takes Dad with her and she always takes her camera and takes pictures of the sun setting over the Sea of Galilee. She must have a million sunsets by now.
I used to laugh at her. It's true that we have beautiful sunsets, especially when the seasons are changing and the play of dust and cloud splash pink and orange on the sky, but as someone that sees them everyday it's not remarkable. I used to poke fun at her, as if she was taking pictures of our sink full of dirty dishes, another thing you can see at the end of most any day.

When I created My People, the name came to me right away. My People is my name in Hebrew, but also the subject my blog; me and the people in my life. I tried to think of a picture that would symbolize who I am for the background of My People's title. I wanted to say where I am, where I am in life and what I'm focused on. I came up with the idea of a sunset over the lake down the hill.

Mom didn't take this particular sunset. But it's me. The last part of my day is drawing near. I am in Israel, the land and nation that has been my home for most of my life; and looking down there on the water I can just barely make out the footprints of God.







Save for the one that I cut My People's title image, all of the sunsets here are ones that Mom has saved for me over the years. Scanning these photos doesn't do justice to the originals, and they don't do justice to the colors in the big sky. But they are important.

Mom and Dad walk the road around my moshav every day. They know how to make the most of their time here and with each other. I am learning something from them that I will have to know before long. How to make the most of a sunset.