remembering

I wonder how many times I've posted this picture on this blog. I also wonder what proportion of my blog posts are Jerusalem-related. I also find it funny that this is one of my favorite pictures of Jerusalem. At this size you can barely tell that the Dome of the Rock is there in the background and the plants take up most of the picture. So I think I like this picture not because of what is in it, but because of what it makes me remember. I spent so much time sitting on this balcony and looking out the windows of the center. I don't need the picture to show me the view because I remember it perfectly. This is a picture looking out from just about my favorite place in the world. And I like the remembering, even though it hurts my heart a little bit.

I decided to start reading the New Testament again today, and that got me thinking about Jerusalem. That thinking about Jerusalem got my to tearing up a bit. {I won't say crying, because only one tear actually escaped my eye.} It's been a long time since thinking about it has made me that emotional, and I wonder if that is because it has been so long since I was there and I worry about remembering. I looked through many of my pictures tonight and was overwhelmed with the memories. As I was so emotional I was wondering how I might explain those feelings to someone who wasn't there with me, and I'm glad there are 80 people who were there with me and know exactly what I'm feeling. How can you describe Jerusalem? I can't think of a time in my life when I've been happier. I never wore makeup, my hair was always a disaster, my clothes were ugly and I gained a ton of weight, but I was perfectly, blissfully happy. I'll always remember that driving into Jerusalem felt like driving home, except even better. Sometimes it feels so far away, but I like the remembering.