Jerusalem, if I forget thee

I've meant to write about my trip to the Holy Land for ages now, but there have been a few things getting in the way--mostly the fact that my phone sometimes is a stickler about uploading photos. But I finally got them to upload (yay!), and so now it's time for pictures and stories. But now, two weeks since getting back, I'm not really sure where to start. And I feel badly, since I know that this is going to be more of a travel log and photo dump instead of a place to really process the trip, but so it goes sometimes.

So I guess I'll start with Jerusalem, since so many religious stories and traditions begin and end there.

[O Jerusalem, Jerusalem]

One of the first things we did while in Jerusalem was go to the Garden Tomb. There are two places in Jerusalem which are traditionally sites of the possible tomb of Jesus--one is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the other is the Garden Tomb, which is outside of the Old City. Mormons generally gravitate to the Garden Tomb. It certainly is very peaceful and beautiful. And even though we don't know if it's exactly where Christ was resurrected, that's kind of beside the point for me (I know it's not that way for everyone, but that's how it is for me.) The point is that He was resurrected and that He does live. 

[The Garden Tomb]

[Arguably the most important message ever given]

We also visited Gethsemane, which was a special and poignant place for me. 

[Outside the Church of All Nations, which is right by Gethsemane]

[The lovely Dani]

Jerusalem has a lot of churches. A lot. It's great. And something I loved about Jerusalem was seeing so many people's worship and devotion. I know it can be seen as strange and overwhelming, but there was something really beautiful about seeing how people came from all over the world to be in the Holy City--some people had waited their entire lives to come here--and it was beautiful to see their faith and longing to be close to God. That goes not only for Christians, but Jews and Muslims, too, since Jerusalem is a city that means so much to so many. And even though the tension could be tangible, the faith there was, too. 

[The Russian Church of the Ascension. There were Russian nuns there and I spoke Russian to them and they loved me.]

[The Antonia Tower. This was a German church.]

[Church of the Holy Sepulcher]

[And the outside.]

[Inside Alexander Nevsky Church. (Which was another Russian church where they loved me.) This is the "eye of a needle" which they say was the thing that Jesus was referring to when He said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." I got through. I don't know what that says about my spiritual state so much as that I'm smaller than a camel.]

[By the Pools of Bethesda]

[Traditional site of the Last Supper]

[Not a church, but these are the steps leading up to Herod's Temple before it was destroyed by the Romans. There is a very good chance that Jesus walked on these steps. Which is really neat, if you think about it.]

[I am including this picture for many reasons. One, I'm standing on the Jesus Steps, which is pretty cool. Two, I think it just shows the realities of travel. Especially travel in the Middle East at 100+ degree weather. This picture was taken at 3 in the afternoon. I'm pretty sure I had heat exhaustion, I was tired, thirsty, and wasn't even trying to look pretty anymore. There's a stain from my water bottle on my yellow shirt, my shirt is a bit too big for me, and there's a nice white band of a farmer's tan. This is real travel, people. #realtalk.]

One of my favorite places we went to in Jerusalem was the Temple Mount/the Dome of the Rock. I have dreamed of going there since junior high, and it was such a privilege to be able to stand there and just see the beauty of the architecture, history, faith, and tension there. 

[Look at those colors.]

[Sometimes you accidentally end up matching with the Dome of the Rock, which is pretty cool.]

It was just a really, really, really neat experience for me that I will remember and treasure for a long time. 

We also got to see the Western Wall, which was also beautiful. You can feel the sorrow and longing that accompanies the place. 

[Women's side of the Western Wall]

In addition to the religious sites, we also enjoyed the marketplace. At least, I did. It's always fun to get the feel of a city--even if it's just a taste. 

[The Old City]

[Although we were pretty exhausted after walking out in the sun all day]

[Case in point]

[Good thing gelato saves the day in any country. Especially when it's almond lemon gelato. Seriously. Another game changer in my life.]

While I was in Jerusalem, I was continually overwhelmed with gratitude--gratitude for the opportunity to be there and see this city that so many dream of. It's a place that sticks with you and takes time to process. It's not a city that's easily forgettable, to be sure. And I think that's the point. 

(More posts to follow on the rest of the trip to Israel/Palestine.) 

Before she was Mom

A couple of months ago, around Mother's Day, I read an intriguing article in the New York Times on motherhood. It's called "Our Mothers As We Never Saw Them." The author shares her insights on one of her recent projects: asking women to send in photos of their mothers before they became their mothers.

I found the concept absolutely lovely. It's an insight into mother-daughter relationships, that, in many ways, says more about the daughters than the mothers. What do we, as daughters, admire in our mothers before they were our mothers? What do we see in them that we see in ourselves, whether it's a nose, a posture, or a certain sense of bravery? What do we want to take from those pictures? Where do the stories end and the myths begin?

[My mom, before she was my mom]

As Edan Lepucki (the article's author) so poignantly stated, "For daughters, these old photos of our mothers feel like both a chasm and a bridge. The woman in the picture is someone other than the woman we know. She is also exactly the person in the photo--still, right now. Finally, we see that the woman we've come to think of as Mom--whether she's nurturing, or disapproving, or thoughtful, or delusional, or pestering, or supportive, or sentimental--is also a mysterious, fun, brave, babe. She's been here all this time."

Today, on my mom's birthday, I decided to delve into the boxes of old photographs of my mom's early years. I wasn't sure how many pre-mom photos I would find (especially because my mom became a mom fairly young in life--she was married at 20 and then had me when she was 21), but I found a gold mine of elementary school, junior high, high school, and college photographs. In these pictures, she is usually Kiersti rather than Kiersten, and she sports 70s fashion and 80s hairstyles. She usually is playing some kind of sport outside, holding a younger sibling, or blowing out candles on a birthday cake.

My sisters gathered near me and then my mom, who told the stories behind the photographs.

"How old were you in this picture?"

"I didn't know that you caught a bunny."

"You look like you're going to die in this picture."

"That's because I did think I was going to die."

The pictures I found left me wanting to find even more.

[With a bunny she caught]

[As Oscar the Grouch for Halloween]

[Canoeing]

There is something tangible yet fragile in these pictures; mysterious and real. It feels at once that I should know the young woman in the pictures perfectly, from a combination of stories she's told us about herself and the woman I know now, but looking at the photos also brings a recognition that just as I don't fully know my mom now, there's no way I could ever fully know that young woman in the pictures.

But I love her, just the same. And want to incorporate her kindness, bravery, intelligence, love of sports and the outdoors, sass, compassion, and wisdom into my very bones.

I like to flatter myself that maybe, by some miracle of nature, nurture, and mitochondrial DNA, maybe more of her is in me than I sometimes realize. I certainly hope so.

Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.

Firenze

Getting out of Rome and into Tuscany was good for Dani and me. It felt much less crowded and more relaxed (and it was cooler! Thank goodness). We made plans of things we had to see/get done . . . and seeing Michelangelo's David actually wasn't one of them--the gallery was sold out for the days we were in Florence, so we decided to skip the stress and the lines and just enjoy the rest of Florence--which we did thoroughly. 

[On the way to Florence--the selfie wouldn't be complete without a photo bomber, so I'm glad the man behind us obliged.]

[Overlooking Florence]

[Didn't see the real David, but we did see the replica in the main square.]

There were lots of things I expected about Florence--I expected to enjoy seeing the Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery and the River Arno, which I did. But there were also many unexpected things that happened, like: 

--Being blown away by the beauty of the Duomo . . .

[I spy with my little eye . . .]

[It is absolutely incredible. This lovely sight greeted us as we walked from the train station to our hotel. It is massive.]

[Belltower]

[You can't see it super well in the pictures, but the Duomo has a lot of pinks and greens.]

[The facade.]

[I think our photo bomber friend followed us.]

[Inside.]

[Outside.]

[I loved these doors.]

[And the baptistery doors, too. I mean, I guess they're pretty neat.]

the Ponte Vecchio . . . 

[I kept singing "O, Mio Babbino Caro" to myself, since it mentions both the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno.]

. . . and the artwork in the Uffizi Gallery (particularly The Birth of Venus). 

[The Italians and their domes]

[Raphael]

[Caravaggio]

[The Birth of Venus]

--Finding a monster in a triptych at the Uffizi Gallery. 

[Look closely at the right triptych]

[Do you see him?]

[There is a monster right beside these Florentine chicks as part of this "Adoration of the Shepherds" scene. And everyone's just like, "Oh, nbd. it's fine. I'm just here and chill and cool and there's a monster praying alongside me." It was so bizarre and awesome.]

--Accidentally climbing a mountain and being led to the most stunning views of the Florence skyline. 

[A hike so nice we did it twice.]

--During that same climb, finding an ancient church dating back to 1018, as well as a massive Italian cemetery. 

--Eating peach gelato and having my life changed (no pictures, unfortunately, because my mind was blown at that time). 

--Enjoying the twists and turns and hidden charms of the city. 

--Spontaneously buying tickets to La Traviata, but then having the opera being rained out . . . so instead we got some nice, quiet time by the Ponte Vecchio at night. 

I can only think of cheesy things to say to end this post, but I think that out of all the things that I didn't expect in Florence, the peach gelato was the best surprise. Yep. There you go. Life changer right there. That and the monster in the triptych. I'll remember him for a loooonnnng time. 

Just kidding. But not entirely kidding.