April 3: Dear Nablus, we are going to miss you…

Written by: Maria Flegas
April 3, 2017

Dear Nablus, we are going to Miss You. Thank you for your shining faces, your deep eyes, for all the welcome songs, for all the hand shakes, all the coffee rituals ( every 90 minutes! I was in Heaven)), and for showing us the beauty of your oldest of cultures and all that makes you profoundly unique. 

The experience of being a delegate is extremely fortunate and humbling. The experience of being brought into many rich environments throughout every of 10 days, the orphanage and the hospital being two just yesterday morning~ where people meet you, thank you, and speak with you, share a beautiful prepared feast with you, and share about the truth of their situation and about their dreams. I am moved by the dignity and pride with which so many of these organizations shared in their words. I learn constantly about great endurance and resilience from the Palestinian people all the time. 

But moreover, I am touched by the sensitive and in-depth conversations, the losses, the feelings of pain, difficulty, and being brought close to the heart of the families, and the life here. To hear such intimate stories, and feel what is so close to the bone in such a trusted way is a deep treasure. 

Dear shining ones~ I take your stories with me. I take your hope with me. I take your tremendous humanity with me. I do not forget you. I pray to be a seed for you… and a bridge to your oldest of cities, to your ancestors, and to your sprouting dreams. 

I will hope for you. I pray that the light of humanity break through every heart so that the right place with your home land can at last emerge. I pray for harmony, and for fair agreements among all. I pray that every tear shed multiply into a million new tears, and feed the land, grow your trees, bring each heart back to life, and nurture the earth with all new dreams. 

I pray for peace. 

Tomorrow, we are headed to Bethlehem.