Meeting fellow travelers

Friday evening, May 15 I met my fellow travelers to Gaza at Dorothy's apartment on the upper-west side in Manhattan. Yes, I was a bit nervous!
We're a group of 12; diverse in most ways, the exception being our support for the people of Gaza and our desire to travel there and "see for ourselves." Though we didn't state our ages, I'd say they run from the early twenties to mid seventies. Many people are making their first trip to Gaza or the West Bank, others have traveled there before and for one, this is her 9th trip.
Felice has made all arrangements for the journey; from meeting with the Egyptian Embassy, to securing accommodations in Cairo and Gaza, to developing and coordinating the itinerary, to publicizing the trip, etc., etc.. She and Dorothy took on this daunting task and without their efforts we wouldn't be departing for Cairo on May 23 with plans for entering Gaza.
How's it all adding up for me?
Traveling to Gaza wasn't something I was actively looking into. When Felice's email inviting participation in the trip was forwarded to me, I kept the information to myself for a few days. What were the pros and cons of traveling to Gaza? How would seeing the mass destruction in Gaza impact my state of chronic depression? Who would/could benefit from my going to Gaza other than myself and was that enough to justify my going? Did I really want to go to Gaza?
When I shared the trip information with Ken (my husband), he couldn't have been more supportive. Securing Palestinian rights in the West Bank, Gaza and for Palestinian refugees is a cause we share, believe in and actively support. We both work, in our own way, towards peace and non-violence. His willingness to "bankroll" the trip with financial and emotional support has made my participation possible. It's nice to have someone believe in what you're doing.
It's difficult for me to embark on this journey having shared only one evening together with our group. It seems very strange. I'm grateful I've had time to connect with Emma and share our thoughts, hopes and fears. I realize now what a difference it made to "bond' with the Women of a Certain Age prior to our 2004 trip to the West Bank. My trips to New York for the WCA Tuesday night meetings brought me closer to the experiences ahead of us, each individual in the group and the group as a whole. We'd done an enormous amount of sharing before we shared our journey.
I need to shift gears, engage myself in all the possibilities this trip to Gaza presents and give it my all. As a group, we are travelers sharing a passion. That's a strong foundation to build upon. I'll remember that!