Israel at war: This is for you, moms

This is for the moms. We spend much of our time nurturing others, but we are moms of soldiers fighting a war that is dangerous and costs lives. Yes, there are many fronts on which this important war is being fought but let’s take a moment to focus on ours.

You’re okay. You’re not okay. You can’t even decide. That’s okay too – take it day by day. We are often so busy figuring out what has to get done that we focus less on us. Our fears. Our desires. Just some good ol’ fashioned sleep. When’s the last time you just slid into bed and slept like a baby all night?

I’ll admit, that’s when my thoughts start to wander. I do my usual few-times-a-day review of where each child is right now. And then I get to the kid who’s under rocket-fire. And the one on the southern front. The northern front. The middle front, in Samaria! The newlywed wife, floating in her own worry but focused on helping others cope. With the hostage families. The youngest keeping us company as the others come and go, with a smile and always some baked cookies on the go.

This war is taking its toll in so many ways. I am grateful for our family’s ability to give beyond ourselves, in these terribly difficult times, and pray that God keeps everyone safe. I worry about the mental health of this whole country, who will need one big ongoing therapy session when this is all over. But until then we moms wipe away our own tears of worry and face the day.

Olive grove harvesting in eastern Gush Etzion, last week

Breathe, dear mothers, the sun is shining and our children are wonderful people doing what we raised them to do. We love our country, we stand with our own, and we pray that God watches over us all, as we do what we can for ourselves, for each other and our nation.

You are the heroine today, so have a cup of coffee with a neighbor, prepare for the upcoming Hanukkah holiday and let the light in. You are awesome.