The Luck of the Day

Elie’s having an amazing day. He has a few errands to run and agreed to do even more of mine. He dropped of his sister. He’s decided to get a gun. It’s a decision that he has made and for which I have offered no opinion other than to warn my younger children that they are never to touch it.

They know this. It was a reality when Elie had an army gun, and remains a reality long after. They know never to touch a gun. It is not a toy. We live a few kilometers to the east of Jerusalem – this makes us obstacles to peace in the eyes of many. Too many times, there have been terrorist attacks against unsuspecting Israelis – and it was an armed civilian who acted quickly and saved many lives.

Not everyone in Israel has a gun. Not every “settler” has a gun. These are lies others spread to make it seem like we live in a violent country. And yet, on the day Gilad Shalit was freed, the ninety injured people – were all on the side of the Arabs. It was their weapons they shot in the air; their bullets that fell to the earth injuring people. All we did on our side was sing and dance, wave flags and send up our prayers that Gilad would be healthy.

So, Elie went to the Interior Ministry to pick up a form. As a combat soldier, the process for his getting a gun is shorter than for most people. He has already received high enough security clearance, already been armed for several years and will be trusted. The process for him will only take…a few months. I like that someone cannot walk in and walk out with a gun; not in a day, not in a week, not even in a month.

He completed the form and took in yesterday. He went first thing in the morning, figuring that would get him in before the lines. Only there were no lines, because on Mondays, they only open in the afternoon. He came back to my office and worked on the computer until he could go there. He arrived, got in line, only to find they wanted proof that he lived where he said he did. Apparently, for a gun license, they don’t even trust their own computers. He needed a bill from the city saying he lived in the house. Except, the house is in our name and so he needed to bring bills showing that we live there, and then mail or something that he received showing that he lives there too). He also needs a letter from the city.

So today, Elie’s lucky day began. I left early with Shmulik this morning (that’s the next post) and Elie did me the first favor of driving his younger sister to school. She’s a crossing guard today (“crossing people is fun”) and has to get there early. Elie dropped his sister off and went to the City Hall building. They open only at 8:00 a.m. and he got there about 7:20 a.m. figuring he’d have a long wait. A woman there saw him and told him to come in, she would help him right away.

He called me 10 minutes later to tell me he already had the forms he needed. He was thrilled to have saved that extra time and explained he was now going to drive to Jerusalem. He drove up the hill- no traffic…and amazing thing by itself. Pulled into a parking lot where he could catch the train, and a moment later, the train arrived. He was thrilled.

He got to the Ministry of Interior and though there were many people, the line moved quickly. He was out before he even expected to be in…and so his day has gone. I can only help it continues.

Meantime, I drove to work with Shmulik. He wanted to use my car to go to an appointment in the center of Israel and agreed to go with me early in the morning. The problem was, my car is not insured for him as a young driver and so we have to activate a special clause in the insurance that covers him for the day. It costs only about $15 and gives us the freedom to allow for another driver when we need it.

Unfortunately, things were hectic yesterday and I didn’t have time to call…so as I was driving, much earlier than I expected the insurance company representative to be in, I told Shmulik to give it a try. Following a long series of taped options, we were actually able to insure him. They even gave us a confirmation number.

With that in hand, I waited 15 minutes, pulled to the side of the highway and said, “here, you drive!” He was happy and I got a chauffeur!

As he was driving, earlier than I am normally on the road, we saw a bad accident with a car in the middle of the highway laying on its side. Police were already onsite, anyone who had been hurt was long gone and it looked like they were examining why the accident had happened.

I know the occupant of that car isn’t having a lucky day but it was interesting how the role of comforter has often moved to my children. It looked like a bad accident – the front windshield was gone, the airbags expanded. Like a child without thinking, I asked, “Do you think anyone was killed?”

Shmulik right way answered, “No, it’s a strong car.” I was sure he was wrong. Turns out, the kid was right in so many ways. He said he thought the driver was going too fast; that there was no other reason why the car would have turned over like that by itself. (Here’s the report in Hebrew http://www.hnn.co.il/gallery16039.html). But most important is that the driver was only lightly injured – and so yes, perhaps even he can consider today lucky!

And one final word on today – today is my 29th wedding anniversary to a most wonderful man. So yes, today is indeed special and I’m so glad my kids are basking in the luck and the love of the day.

Here’s hoping you are having a lucky day today and that it continues. And for those who say there are no coincidences and no luck – only a Greater Plan, I’ll hope that God smiles you all of us today, gives us peace and safety, health and happiness…and maybe, if I can ask, light to no traffic on the way home.

1 Comment

  1. Happy Anniversary, Paula!

    Always nice when you have a chance to post about normal life in Israel. As much as I enjoy reading your posts about the latest political or terrorist event, I really appreciate the family and cultural posts even more!

    Again, Happy Anniversary!

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