Giving Thanks

Last year, my darling wife and I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving in New York City’s Harlem with family and friends and then promptly flew to Ramallah for a week to explore the city that we would soon be calling home.  It was my darling wife’s first trip to Palestine, and although the air quality on the streets and in restaurants was displeasing—thanks to trucks belching oily exhaust and people tugging on narghilea pipes—after that trip we were ‘all in’ on the move to Ramallah.  

Random people smoking narghilea

Upon our return to Baltimore, our singular focus was preparing for the move overseas. Soon our house was ready for renting, our possessions were either in storage or on the way to Palestine, and we were boarding planes to start a new adventure. 

While living in Ramallah, we ate good food, volunteered and worked for good causes, met good people, lived in good apartments, and explored sites with historic, religious, and picturesque significance.  Alas, earlier than I would have liked, our Palestine adventure was over and in early November we returned to Baltimore. 

As a result, my darling wife and I have come full circle and are once again celebrating Thanksgiving in New York City with family and friends.  During the past 12 months, we’ve benefitted from dozens of acts of generosity and enjoyed an unending string of daily surprises that kept life interesting.  Overall, we have a lot of ‘thanks’ to give.  Here’s a sampling:

• ·         Thanks to those who fixed, cleaned, and packed our house prior to our move

• ·         Thanks to our friends in Ramallah who made us feel welcome and safe

• ·         Thanks to family and friends who opened their homes to host us throughout the year

• ·         Thanks to family and friends with whom we shared meals, discussion, and laughter

• ·         Thanks to the airlines for safely transporting us around the globe

• ·         Thanks to the Ramallah Street Hockey League for helping us stay fit and agile

• ·         Thanks to Israeli security forces for not strip searching at least one of us

• ·         Thanks to the world’s Abrahamic religions for making Palestine a fascinating place to live and  tour

• ·         Thanks to the olive, lemon, pomegranate, and other plants for tasty fruits

And most of all, thanks for health and life and love.

I’m not sure where we’ll be next Thanksgiving and what will transpire between now and then, but based on previous experience I’m certain that I will have a long list of thanksgiving in 2012, too.

Unimpossible Life wishes you a safe and fun Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season.

On the Eve of Greatness

Thought I'd share a quick update on the previous week...

Last week Sunday, the movers packed up our apartment in Ramallah in preparation for its shipment across the Atlantic.  That same day after work, my work colleagues treated my darling wife and me to dinner, laughs, and some generous gifts to help us keep Palestine close to our hearts. 

Monday, my darling wife and I visited friends for coffee, tea, treats, and conversation one last time as part of our final week farewell tour.  On Tuesday after work, we took a final 'road trip' to Bethlehem via speedy (read: reckless) public transport.  In Bethlehem, we gave the Nativity Church a final glance, picked up some souvenirs, and and took a stroll through the narrow streets.

Wednesday was our final day in Ramallah, Palestine.  I worked while my darling wife prepared the luggage and ran final errands.  After work, we said our final good-byes, grabbed a final meal (at Darna, where I ate my first meal in Ramallah in August 2010), and got into a taxi for the airport.

The flight to the US was uneventful and soon we were in Dallas, TX for a friend's wedding.  We arrived Thursday and the wedding was Saturday, so we saw a little bit of Dallas and a lot of our hotel room, enjoying the comfortable bed and recovering from jet lag.  The wedding was Saturday morning.  It was a beautiful affair--a bit chilly and windy, but we were under bright, sunny skies and love was flowing abundantly.

After brunch and a relaxing early Sunday afternoon, I flew from Dallas to Baltimore.  Today (Monday, November 7) was my first day back in the office I worked in for nearly 6 years before moving to Palestine 10 months ago.  It was oddly familiar in a distant kind of way.  Nice to see some old friends, and good to meet new colleagues.

And I can't help but think that great things are ahead.