EMPOWERING Myself and Other People to Cope with War

B'SD


20 Tamuz, 5774

I've had several blogposts waiting to see the light of day for some time, now. I chose not to let them appear on your monitor because the lighthearted banter was not appropriate to my being under siege with the rest of Israel.

I can share medical innovations and cute stories with you at another time, GOD willing

I, and many other Israelis, have literally been running for our lives into protected shelters of some sort, as an onslaught of Hamas missiles head to civilian areas these past few weeks. 

Israel's major airport, Ben Gurion, has been a frequent target, too.

It's been hard to live normal daily routines as we dodge this and that, struggle to shop for necessities, and then prepare meals. Our sabbaths are also punctuated with sirens, hunger, and fear. We feel a wistfulness for the serenity that daily Jewish life and values, and especially the Shabbat, bring to our lives.

Southern Israel has been a Hamas (and PA) target for years. It has taken an especially brutal beating this go- 'round. I have friends in that part of the map, and know some of the soldiers there, too.

I chose not sit out the war 

thinking of merely 

my own well-being.

Last Friday I participated in a convoy of volunteers who'd shopped, prepared and delivered home-cooked foods to southern families in deep distress, and to Negev area IDF bases in need of morale-boosters for the thousands of reserve soldiers suddenly called to duty.

Fellow travelers of the car I was in watched the puffs of smoke all over the sky with me. Those puffs told us that Iron Dome was working, with GOD's supervision, to protect Israel's citizens. I deeply felt GOD's protection over us during that mission of mercy to countrymen in need. All of us did.

We took a soldier from our neighborhood all the way to his base outside Gaza, among other errands on our agenda.  Along the way we made a few stops. In the photo below he's amusing some children with magic tricks at an absorption center in southern Israel (Israel houses immigrants fleeing persecution in other countries, for free, until they adjust to their new surroundings).

We went to a dedication ceremony at Giv'at Oz V'Gaon, a new neighborhood named for the three teens murdered in cold blood last month, as they attempted to travel from their schools to their homes for Shabbat.

Jewish life is all about positive energy.

We build and help others to flourish.

We kept driving until we'd reached 

the IDF location for that soldier

traveling with us.

One of his colleagues came out 

to hoist some of that 

home-cooked food indoors.

One of our traveling companions
took this photo 

of the rest of us.

Middle East heat radiated from 
the cloudless sky.

We were in the desert, 
with no trees to speak of. 

Young and newly planted saplings,
planted by Israeli Jews,

dotted the area.

Here's a picture of my arm 
reaching from the car 

as I handed out treats to 
a few hot, tired soldiers 

thrilled to meet us at one of 
the several IDF bases we visited.

Yes, indeed, we had traveled that close to the action, 

to do what we could to keep up morale and smiles on.

Wondering how I kept my courage up without faltering in the face of frightening odds?

I've had past practice at overcoming challenges. 

I made choices and took actions that were quite difficult to do, at first. But as I realized that my life could continue with all that, I did all that again and again.

You can learn all about those empowering techniques, and use them yourself, after you read

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

You have a medical or mental health war to win, to improve your life. Fight fear with practical, can-do thoughts and actions.