"The wasteland will rejoice..."

Yom rishon, 20 Av 5768/24 August 2008, Sunday.

Was it ever this beautiful in Baltimore?

I can't remember.

But like any good mother or grandmother, the photo album I pull out of my over-sized purse will have pictures of my beloved children and grandchildren. It won't have snaps of the other lady's kids, however adorable (she may think) they are.



Baltimore was never a place I was in love with. So the photos of the beauty surrounding that city are in someone else's wallet.

Since falling in love with this country more than 16 years ago, I have watched the miracle of the greening of the land unfold more each year, as more and more Jews return to our beloved Home. "The wilderness and the wasteland will rejoice over them; the desert will be glad and blossom like a lily." [Isaiah 35:1] Hills that were brown a decade ago look like golf courses today!


Lush, beautiful flowers and fruit trees grow in the heart of Yerushalayim.















Of course, one has to have a few photos of the cute and silly poses, catching the kids when they don't notice the camera looking at them:









And there are always the cute shots of the kids pretending to be grownups, and failing miserably:















And, of course, no photo album is complete without that shot of your dear ones that absolutely takes your breath away.
May Hashem grant me (and all of us, who dearly love this Land) many long, healthy years in which to fill our photo albums with beautiful memories. And may those who are far from the growing children be inspired to return Home, to watch the memories unfold.