My mother often said in her "teaching" that "we can always be kind". That was an important value for me, and one, that on occasion comes to the surface in my daily life. Not that I am always kind, but that there is always an opportunity to be so. The time with the Halloun family was special in that way, as the host treated the guest with kindness and celebration. While for some, Communicating in English was a problem for me. Most of the adults speak Arabic, Hebrew and basic English, at least the adult children did. Someone was always available for interpretation when communication was difficult.
In addition to traditional meals of of Magluba on the first day, with its abundance and special tradition of serving such food on rare occasions there was practice of the hosts pouring food on my plate when there was the least bit of possibility of it being empty. We laughed about that often during the meal. When it was not Labbita, the mother, it was her daughters Mona and Irene scooping the chicken, rice and vegetables on the plate. We talked much about their lives as Palestinians with Israeli citizenship,a description not used by most Israelis, however. They had a fairly good life, even as a minority in a Druze Village. All the chilren were enrolled in the University, or had completed their degree, as Fakhira had. The family was core of their life together, as seen in houses, around, near and above Elias's home. As a Municipal government worker he had had risen to a high administrative post in the Water and Electricity Board.
I was given the daughter's room (Fakhira) and friend in the States, with an incredible view of the valley, and a balcony to enjoy the morning sun as it stretched over the valley below. I slept well, but as has been the practice, I rose at about 5:00 to answer emails and do some writing.
The family invited me to join the mother's weekly pilgrimage of 4 kms. to the monastery of Maruka, where a priest would lead mass. Of the family, only Labbiba
and I sat in worship. It was a beautiful sanctuary, and Fakhira's cousin, Leah read the morning scripture as well as the singing. She is also the music teacher of niece Noel, who has a voice of velvet. The family has great hopes for her success, and with good reason. She sang one of Celina's songs of hope in English and did it beautifully.
After the chapel emptied, with only one couple remaining in the back, I couldn't refuse the opportunity to continue worship with a few pieces on my harp. The sound resonated nicely, as it can in such a stone venue, and the feedback from them is inspiring for my play. (often much better than I sound) After I finished a rendition of "Sanctuary" and "Font of Blessing", I heard this voice from the back say, "Please play some more". And so I did. IT was a special connection with other fellow worshipers. We all left satisfied that God was truly in this place.
We didn't walk home, but arrived in time for the finishing touches on Meniche, a very
special of various types of Pizza. Labbita had been preparing the dough when I saw her at 5:30 that morning. IT was delicious, and graciously served as always. That evening, as had been the case with the father, Elias, who had driven me around all of Haifa, and as well, stopped for a beer and chips by the sea; Irene also took me to places such as where the fire which raised havoc a year ago, devastated the region of Israel and killed 47 people on a bus from the prison, caught by the fire. Like the people of the land, the vegetation was rebounding, but the effect of the blaze was still evident as far as the eye could see. Fortunately,the wind was a land breeze and blew to less inhabited spaces. Irene took me to her home which was just a short distance from the fire which raged away from her home, fortunately, to the sea.
There was an abundance of food, love and laughter during my time there and there were always family there, including the children of Carmel, the son and husband of Areena. The two year old Elias, grandson of Elias and inseparable from one another, often came by for a handshake. I so wish I had brought the book, "I love you forever". The kids would have loved it and connected me with the older children, Karena, Katy, and Noel more quickly. Still, they were fun and in spite of the language barrier, were able to communicate together with my limited knowledge of Arabic, and their words they had learned in school. There are lots of ways to communicate without words. The family did that well. And then, there were aunts and uncles that dropped by to share the welcome. While they were hospitable, they always suggested that I take a nap in the mid afternoons. I suspect they needed the break from me, as I needed to catch up on limited sleep. At the end of the day, Elias drove me an hour's distance to the hotel which presented challenges to Elias. Labbita also accompanied us.
And like in the biblical stories of their past, and after dinner, I was presented with a gift, a bright red sweater! That gesture was over the top for me. I quickly put it on. You see, it was another act of kindness.
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