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View of the Al Makhrour Valley near Bethlehem and Jerusalem<\/p><\/div>\n
And it was\u00a0lovely.\u00a0I drank in the vistas, stone terraces trickling down green hillsides, beautiful houses scattered across others, lush trees lining our highway, a blue cloudless sky over it all.\u00a0\u00a0It was so moving I felt compelled to comment out loud to the others with me, \u201cIt is such a beautiful day!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0It was like a veil had lifted.\u00a0\u00a0As I ignored all the other invisible information I knew about the view on the other side of the glass the scene was so pleasant and inviting.\u00a0\u00a0If I didn\u2019t know any better, and for these moments I was choosing not to, I would think this land of the Bible had become a thriving community.\u00a0\u00a0A glorious, welcoming, and developed land.<\/p>\n
The idyllic vision made me feel so happy inside.\u00a0\u00a0I was amazed by the whole unfolding experience.\u00a0\u00a0I was astonished by the amount of positivity and delight coursing through me\u2014and equally astounded by the tempered emotions and subtle sadness I was suddenly aware of that had been my unconscious state prior to this little mind game.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t get me wrong, I experience joy and happiness when I am here, but not because of the landscapes and holy sites, it is because of the people.\u00a0\u00a0The dear ones I have developed relationships with.<\/p>\n
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Father Firas Khoury Diab with our leader\/guide, Usama Nicola<\/p><\/div>\n
It is because of these dear ones that I also feel the sadness I do.\u00a0\u00a0Knowing them has made me aware of what was unseen among these vistas.\u00a0Invisible amidst the pretty neighborhoods and free-flowing freeway.\u00a0\u00a0Their vistas are found a few kilometers back.\u00a0Before the road becomes a highway, just two lanes passing in and out of a military checkpoint with assault-rifle wielding soldiers checking documents and playing on their phones.\u00a0\u00a0It is along this road on the other side of a 16-year-old, 25-foot wall that you will find them, my dear ones, in a place called Bethlehem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
13 October, by Katie Archibald-Wooodward As we drove from Bethlehem into Jerusalem I watched the world as it sailed across my window.\u00a0\u00a0I decided to play a little game with myself.\u00a0\u00a0Just try to see. Pretend there is no occupation.\u00a0No military control … Continue reading