We woke to the news of the death of one of our own last night.
Lt. Amitay Zvi Granot, 24, a commander in the 7th Armored Brigade, was killed by anti-tank guided missile fire launched by Hezbollah on the Lebanon border yesterday.
Amitay was raised in Yonatan. He was engaged to be married. My husband and oldest daughter joined a busload of Yonatan residents to Mt. Hertzel to participate in his funeral this evening.
May his memory be a blessing to his family forever.
After the news landed, I turned my focus onto my inner circle.
I had coffee with a dear friend and neighbor.
I potted some plants.
I made some breakfast for me and Shishi.
I did a little work.
I cleaned up the house.
Had a few unrushed chats with my kids. I slowed down.
I pulled it in.
As Batya and Shahar headed toward Jerusalem, Chezi and I and a couple of his friends drove a few miles north to a beautiful, intimate outdoor concert with a well-known Israeli singer named Akiva Turgeman who is on reserve duty here in Yonatan. He performed a small show for the local youth movement. It was live-streamed to the Bnei Akiva branches in the south.
He performed in his army fatigues. He sang about pain, he sang through pain. He sang about happier times and he spoke about the beauty and kindness he witnessed over the last 10 days. The brotherhood, the unity, the fear, the faith, the loss, the prayer, and the resolve. He told us about an 85-year-old man and his wife who just appeared on their army base with two folding tables, a portable BBQ, and enough meat to feed the whole troop. How it was so beautiful it made him cry.
He sang one of my favorite songs… peshutim. With our eyes and hearts raised to the heavens we song along with him:
“This is what I ask (of you Gd):
Keep it simple with us.
A house and a pot to cook on the fire.
A hug,
Children’s laughter
This is what I ask:
Keep us innocent
Don’t ever let us stop feeling excited about
your smile
or children’s laughter”
Amen.