Hello Mom, Goodbye Students

Yesterday afternoon I drove to the Ben Gurion Airport just outside of Tel Aviv to pick up my mother and my niece, who have come to spend three weeks with us for Christmas.  A trip to the Holy Land has been one of my mother's long-held dreams, one she thought she would never be able to accomplish, especially after Dad died.  Lindsay, my sister's youngest, has virtually been a member of our family since she started college in Utah a couple of years ago.  She is living with Mother while we are out of the country, helping take care of her and her affairs while I am not there.

This video clip, in addition to recording our meeting at the airport, also documents the reaction of Mom and Lindsay to first seeing Jerusalem:

Of course, one of the most delightful things was seeing the reaction of Rachel and Samuel to seeing their Nana for the first time in four months.  We have missed her!

Sam was having fun with the departing students' turned-in bedding, but he took a break for his Nana

All together again for Christmas!

Here is footage of our reunions:

The excitement of having family arrive was tempered by the sadness of seeing our first student group leave after a successful semester.  All of us, students, faculty, and family alike, I think were surprised at how sad we were to see this special time end.  We have, in a real sense, become family these last there and a half months.