Berlin, Germany
The sun felt warm, friendly, and inviting on my face; I just leaned up against the concrete wall and let it soak into my bones. They were waiting for me, but I couldn’t pull myself away. After a time, I felt the phone buzzing in my pocket and silenced it.
I don’t understand why, but I drifted to a time when I was a child. I was walking down a tree-covered path on my grandfather’s ranch with my two older brothers and sister. They were ahead of me some distance, skipping and laughing and goofing. A large bird swooped down over their heads, and the moment burned into my memory. Once in a while, this image floods my mind, and when it does, time seems to dissolve into a sense of oneness.
I think that’s what the holidays are about. The traditions, menorahs and trees, colored lights and cookies, it all turns into a nostalgic swirl of oneness of what was and what is. Enjoy the swirl.