Belonging

So many thoughts on this 4th of July 2012, our 1st day in Houston. What common thread do they share? I was thinking about the theme of belonging. We had a great 1st day in our new hometown. I was welcomed warmly in shul. We were invited to 2 different 4th of July BBQ's. We sampled one of the kosher restaurants and explored some of the new hood. We found Walmart and got the twins their 1st big kid bikes. And most importantly, we received the keys to our new house. The kids couldn't get over how much room there was! So far so good. And yet, of course it will take time to really feel like we belong here and are not just visiting. When our moving truck finally arrives next week (we hope) and we start to unpack we will feel like we belong in the house. And when we meet more people and learn our way around it will feel like we really belong in town. It might take a little longer though for it to settle in that we live in TX :-) Driving here from FL this week really made it sink in how huge this country is. When we finally entered TX the sign said something like 850 miles to El Paso on the other side of the state. I read recently that TX is bigger than France! And I was told at the BBQ tonight that if you want to drive from here to Los Angeles you are already halfway there when you exit TX! The truth is that Houston is pretty cool, and TX is pretty cool, and in general, living in America is pretty awesome (got to love the Boston Pops on the 4th!). But as much as I love this country and am truly grateful for all the freedoms and opportunities it offers, I remind myself that ultimately I believe that we really belong in Eretz Yisrael, our true home. So... As we start to settle in to our new home in Houston I am excited knowing that, like a good pillow, it will only get more and more comfortable. And it occurs to me that maybe belonging is more about feeling like your presence is needed. Since tomorrow is my 1st day at Beren I suspect that with hard work and dedication I will start to feel like I belong very soon indeed.