Time

Time

A house is defined as a structure with walls, a roof, and a slab. It is the beat of our heart inside that turns the house into a home. The home becomes the place where you feel safe. What if that safety is taken away? How do you come home if your home is no longer there?

The foundations we build are supposed to protect us. A beautiful thought. But life is filled with storms. Some natural. Hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, heat waves etc. The other is unnatural and even worse. It is created by man. War. Both destructive. Both rip up the foundations we have built.

When a war invades your safe space how do you come home? Where is home? At 53, I never knew I would be waking up and going to sleep watching one erupt in front of me. Naive I guess. As a Jewish woman, I have felt every moment of October 7th through my soul. I am not alone. Throughout history, in the US, and abroad wars have been fought. Some watch from afar, some through their windows, and some on the front line. Men and women leave their homes to go fight. Some return. Some become casualties of war or prisoners of war. Far worse is when countries need to use something for the purpose of gain. Innocent people living their lives become hostages.

There is a point when a storm dissipates. It reaches land and loses speed. The winds die, the clouds move, and the sun emerges. A war can last much longer than a storm. The end is when the reason it has been fought for so long is lost or somehow peace has emerged. What is left? How do you pick up the pieces? What is essential to both in repairing the damage?

Time. A valuable and crucial commodity. Our external foundations can be rebuilt. We can put shingles on our roof that can withstand hurricane force winds. We can take the ingredients used to make cement and make it stronger. We can install double pane windows with reinforced shades so the glass will not break. Time is needed to allow the materials to dry and bond. What about our internal foundation? Will the devastation of war break our hearts? I would be lying if I said no. Our hearts will break through loss and fear. Unlike the ingredients used to make the cement, the ingredients that keep our hearts beating are faith, hope, and time. Our loved ones near us, far from us, or even taken from us live in our heart. We do not need to go and find these ingredients. Wherever we go and whatever we do, they regenerate and make up our home.

Time can be given and taken. As clean up begins, debris gets thrown out, homes get rebuilt, new infrastructure gets put into place, soldiers come home, soldiers leave, families that have been separated are joined together or families say goodbye. We need to give them time. We need to take the time to give them time. Time to reenter. Time to get to know what is in front of you and say goodby to what you lost. Time to rest. Time to heal. Time to be.

The currents in the ocean will always move and storms will always brew. Countries will always disagree. Science, technology, the human race, religion and hate will always create a reason for war. Our walls will fall down and what we knew will change. What is needed to rebuild our structures will always evolve. What is needed to rebuild our hearts will never change. Love of our loved ones here and gone live within our hearts. As long as we have that, we have home.