mother of a soldier..

  There are times when we are invited by our children to be apart of their success and share in their beaming moments of absolute pride..it is in those moments of invitation that we are able see their hard work pay off and witness first hand the bliss of a job most well done and the completion of something so  incredibly special..We had the pleasure last week on Thursday to be apart of something so beautiful and unique, taking my husband and I across the world to Israel where our daughter was graduating from her IDF military combat course..it's not everyday that an Israeli born American girl who lived in Michigan grows up and decides after high school to go to Israel to discover her roots and serve her country of birth..it says a lot about who she is and who she wants to discover to be in a most aspiring way even if she can't see the wisdom in it..Yet..Personally I didn't know if we would ever get to this Moment because it has been one of the hardest journeys to walk as a soldier and as her mother to watch, taking it day by day and moment by moment cheering Shezaf on her quest of some of the hardest work I think she physically mentally spiritually has ever had to do..the night before we were traveling down south to see her for the first time in a long time, marching her last hike in her course with her unit, left us both so over whelmed with emotion that neither one of us could sleep a wink..the thought alone of witnessing such an achievement from your kid outside the American "normal" experience is simply beyond any imaginable notion you have as an American I have had, especially because it took everything inside her to just get to this beautiful place of a part o e completion..There are times when we think we have bitten off more than we realized we can chew and fight to stay afloat tredding our best to make it through a moment of wanting to give up..we struggle trying to find a place holding on tightly for dear life thinking about throwing in the towel because the shit you decide to do is really fucken hard! As a mother watching from the side lines my daughter travel a roller coaster of emotions from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, I am ever prouder that she found a way to stick with it and make it to the end in something that not everyone could be able to complete setting her apart from ordinary to extraodinary..We all have a defining second that sets apart everything you have done and finished..watching her arrive by foot walking in full gear and war paint from the path with 70 plus other soldiers up to where all the parents were waiting to greet and cheer their children on  was something so beautifully  unbelievable! For that split second we were all ONE unified and apart of something so much greater than the place we currently stand.. We are connected in a way that is a passage, right of way that congregates us all together sharing in such a magical moment of pride and joy..we wouldn't have dreamed of missing this for the world and I hope she knows deeply how very proud we all are of her determination dedication and will to get to the place..I still can't believe she achieved something like this..not ever in my wildest dreams despite my famous go big or go home line, did I think I would be sitting her today with her being a palchatz soldier for the IDF guarding the country I still do and will forever call my home..while some might not ever understand this decision or approve of the path she has taken, in our eyes and the eyes of the state of Israel she is considered a WARRIOR..May the universe continue to protect and push her and these soldiers allowing us the freedom to live in peace without fear..may the blessed protection I call upon daily continue to ensure her safety and surround her always with angelic light and love deflecting any harm that may potentially come near her! May she continue to have the faith within her self and the courage to keep moving forward along this journey keeping her head high and her heart open while she continues to navigate and make her way threw her IDF time...peace love faith hope