Who’d have thought it? Here I am, living out a dream in one of the most beautiful places the world, and yet I found myself overcome with a wave of homesickness today.

I was chatting on Skype with my sister Shira, who was telling me that it’s already getting cold in Boston. Despite my happiness about getting to sit out a New England winter here in the Holy Land, I couldn’t help but miss the crisp autumn air, the turning leaves, the smell of woodsmoke, and of course, my family. It’s a loaded time for all of us after the loss of our mother/wife, trying to understand our lives–and ourselves–without her in it. While we each have our own journey (mine an entire ocean away) one thing remains constant: they are the most important people in my life, along with Shuie and Yonah. I miss them very much and wish I could have them nearby. Thank Gd for Skype; we get to stay connected and Auntie Shira gets her Yonah fix.

Adventures in Yonahland grow more exciting each day. This morning, he pulled a package of wipes (one of his favorite toys) down off the shelf, popped open the top, and proceeded to pull out the wipes, one by one. I found him sitting on a cloud of wipes, happy as a clam. He gave me his gorgeous, megawatt smile, and all I could do was laugh.

I am a teacher by profession, and as such, a big believer in positive reinforcement. When working with my little ones, I try my best to lavish them with praise and reward them with prizes for a job well done (As any seasoned teacher will tell you, bribery is one of the tricks of the trade). Now that I’m back on the other side of the teacher’s desk, I can totally appreciate the rush of being acknowledged. I am proud to say that during our week’s review, I was able to give not one, but TWO correct answers from the text. After working so hard to reacquaint myself to learning in Hebrew again, I felt like a rock star. And the best part? I got two stickers! You better believe I stuck those bad boys right in my notebook (experience has shown that stickers stuck to clothing quickly disappear).

This week flew right by and Shabbos is round the corner again. Unbelievable. Shuie and I will be taking Yonah to Ge’ula tomorrow morning, a very charedi (religious) neighborhood with all kinds of Judaica stores, to pick up some additions for our house, followed by our first visit to the Kotel since arriving in Israel. Five years ago, when I stood at the Western Wall, I rested my forehead against the cool stone and began to cry. I was on a Birthright Israel tour led by an incredible guide named Natan, who walked alongside me after we left the old city. He told me about the concept of the “Orlah” (foreskin), which, in Jewish tradition, is cut off during the circumcision ceremony when a baby boy is eight days old. Natan explained that while the circumcision is a physical act, it also represents the removal of the “Orlah” over the heart, which blocks people from being in touch with their emotions (something which men typically struggle with more than women). While women do not have to go through a circumcision because their hearts are naturally more open, the hardships of life can cause many of us to close off. We each have the challenge of removing our “Orlah”, to open our hearts to ourselves, each other and the world around us, no matter how painful it might be sometimes. Natan smiled at me. “It looks like your Orlah has been removed,” he said. He didn’t know it, but his words marked the beginning of a journey for me back to Judaism, and hopefully, with time and Gd’s help, to a more fully realized version of myself. May all of our hearts be opened this year.