More 90’s…
In 1993 my mother, Veronica “Mickey” Frierdich (of blessed memory) and I traveled to Israel all by ourselves! it was an amazing experience full of excitement, discovery and blessings! We left St. Louis and took a long round-about journey till we landed in our destination of the ‘land’. Our first layover was in Toronto….than in England where we stayed two glorious days! While the names of the precious couple that hosted us escape me at this moment, they were friends of friends. They welcomed mom and I into their ‘flat‘ and we were able to get a really good taste of good ole London!
After visiting with them and having a ‘spot of tea’ and some ‘crumpets’, we were set on a double-decker bus to visit the Queen .. well, at least where she abodes. It was an amazing two days and I am ever thankful, not only for the time with those two special individuals – but for the special time I was able to spend with my mother. When we left England, it was just a hop, skip and jump to Israel and our miraculous journey continued!
When we arrived in Israel…the sky was azure blue with fluffy soft clouds floating through the upper atmosphere and the air was crisp and fresh. We were home! It still seems unbelievable that we two women traveled all that distance with no mishaps along the way. What a glorious trip!
After our friends picked us up at the airport, we had a wonderful meal with them and called it a night! The next morning we were up early, had coffee and a small breakfast with our Tate family and were out the door to explore anew! Our friend, Day, dropped us off in the city of Jerusalem and we began our exploration. Up and down streets and alleys, in and out of various shops, praying in the middle of the courtyard and sipping tea in-between. What a time!
Our friend, Ben Shirley (may his memory also be blessed) was our tour-guide and we visited places that no ‘woman should go’ – it was a new frontier! Arab cities, Jewish homes, deserts, bedouin tents and up to the hills of Menashe to spend a wonderful couple days with Rimona & Ephraim Frank...it was a whirlwind of activity. The blessings and the friends we made were life-long!
As I said in the beginning…….I count it a great blessing – a true treasure – to have walked the land with my mother…she was and is still an amazing mentor…..I miss her greatly.
(mom left this time realm on January 16, 2023 at 3:30 after fighting a valiant fight against cancer – which most of us didn’t even know she had!)
