Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Having a Son in Gaza

 

There’s a popular song that states Anyone who has faith is not afraid. It’s a nice tune but I don’t agree with the words. Throughout the years I have learned bad things can happen to good people. Faith means knowing that even though something hurts, ultimately, maybe only in the next world, I’ll find out that pain was for my good. That doesn’t take away the aching in this world, though.   

So, with the war going on there is a bundle of fear resting on one of my shoulders and a bundle of sadness on the other. Sometimes they’re lighter and sometimes heavier but they’re always there, even when I’m laughing and enjoying myself.

What does it mean to have sons fighting in Gaza? It means jumping to answer every phone call, whether I recognize the number or not, in the hopes that my son may have had a chance to make a call. It means a heart stop any time one of the phone calls asks if this is the Silvers family in an official voice. It means trying to think of ways to be supportive to the wives and how to make our grandchildren happy. It means knowing that even if my sons are okay some of the other mothers’ sons are not. It means missing mine and longing to throw my arms around them. It means praying with tears of hope and supplication. It means reminding myself over and over that whatever HaShem does is for the best even if I can’t understand how that can be. It means hoping with all my heart that clarity will come quickly along with full redemption.

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