I’m sitting in a giant aluminum tube, chasing through the sky at 600 miles an hour, and it feels right.

It’s peaceful, around me people are sleeping, a few seat-back screens are showing a random selection of movies, and it is as if this, right here, right now, is what it’s all about.

Being surrounded by orthodox Jews, although a first in experience, seems as natural as if they’d been there every day of my life. This is but one of many things I was about to experience on this trip over the next 13 days.

It all started the night before – I was returning a dog I’d been sitting, when I was overcome with despair. I don’t know what was the cause, but all I wanted to do at the time, was to NOT GO.

You read me right: I wanted to stay home. Ignoring the cost, and not to mention the trip of a lifetime. It was all disposable at that exact moment.

Surely that’s crazy talk, right? Well, such is the power of spiritual warfare at it’s best. After texting for prayers, and spending some quality time praying, I dropped off Mr. Darcy and went home to finish packing.

I don’t remember much of the 3am wake-up, getting to the airport, or the flight to Newark. Except the Crazyness of the Sassone’s side-trip to Houston to renew Heather’s passport. You see, your passport has to be valid at least 6 months after the return from visiting Israel or you can’t go, and Heather’s passport expired in March. I’m inclined to allow them to tell the story of that adventure… but they did get to Tel Aviv.

On the topic of passports, though – the Sassone’s weren’t the only ones with passport trouble. Amanda also managed to lose hers on the flight to Newark, which causes trouble continuing international travel as you can imagine. I think I spy a passport-telling story in the future after all….

… so there I am, 36000 feet up in the air, and feeling very much at peace. As I’d be told several days later, I am going “home” after all. And as you’ll see, it wasn’t until a while later that I realized this.

(More photos can be seen here)