Some how I lost the entire post...very discouraging, to say the least. Here we go again.
On May 2nd I began a road trip to Iowa, making presentations along the way. The planning took place over a matter of days. My husband was in Iowa working with a colleague. We have friends there and along the way so I decided to drive out on my own and we'd make the return trip together.
My bright idea to give presentations while I was traveling hit me one morning. I began writing emails and making phone calls...in three days I had set up four engagements and I already had one for the morning of May 2, the day I was to leave. I began sharpening up my slide show and researching the communities I'd be visiting.
Usually I change the slides a bit before each presentation. It adds variety and most importantly puts me in the position of concentrating on Gaza, my pictures, the stories they tell and the things I want to say. This time I added a slide which proved to be very effective. A map of Gaza is always shown ...this time to the left of the map I typed in Gaza'z size in sq. miles, its total population and the population under age 15. On the right side I added the same statistics for the community I was speaking in. It certainly help the audience compare the two and realize how small Gaza is, 139 sq miles, with a population of 1.5 million and half the population under 15. It's one of the most populated areas on the planet.
May 2 I spoke at the Presbyterian church here in Doylestown. The group was small but interested; which is much better than a large group that's disinterested. They were disturbed by the destruction, the tent cities and the people forced into this temporary housing. I worried about the presentation being shortened to 35 minutes to accommodate their schedule. Everything went smoothly; I'm sure I was the only person aware they were missing information.
I'd hoped to leave Doylestown around 11:30. Things didn't work out that way and I left about 2, well aware I was very tired. As I drove out the PA turnpike I opened all the car windows, letting in the fresh air to keep me awake. Next I splashed water on my face. It did little other than get my clothes wet. By the time I passed Harrisburg my head began to nod and I'd jerk myself awake. After the third time that happened, I knew I'd better get off the turnpike, find a motel and sleep. Wise decision!
Monday was my first stop. Cleveland! I was visiting with very dear friends. Our time together was cut short because I stopped to sleep, but I got there in good shape...if I hadn't stopped, who knows what might have happened.
Tuesday afternoon I left for Chicago, Downers Grove to be precise. I arrived in the Chicago area well before dark and promptly got lost. My cousin's husband Tom became my navigator via the telephone. Right off the bat we ran into trouble. He asked where I was and I told where route 30m runs into route 50. "Can't be" says Tom, "It doesn't exist!" Well, the signs were right in front of me. Puzzling, until he figured out I was in Indiana not Illinois! After two hours I made it to Downers Grove.
My cousin, Ditty arranged a presentation for me at her church for Wednesday evening...complete with a free home made middle eastern dinner. Needless to say it was well attended with over 50 people. I do believe the dinner was the drawing card.
The presentation started while the dinner was under way. Actually it worked very well. Diners kept noise to a minimum and actually they often arrived at questions by consensus. They asked why the blockade extended to people crossing the border, especially for medical reasons or students who had received scholarships to study abroad.
There's no logical answer to that.....Israel does it because they want to and they can! The International community looks the other way. They may say it's to keep terrorists out of Israel but few people believe that.
What about the tunnels? What about the rockets? Once the slides showed the tunnels are not hidden away but easily visible; that they supplied Gaza's need for food and most other goods. The negativity began to vanish. Yes, shooting off rockets is wrong! However the rockets from Gaza cannot be directed to a spicific location, like a missile. One person has been killed by a rocket since 2008. Naturally taking one life is one life too many, but it is difficult to compare that to 1,400 Palestinian lives taken during the bombardment and invasion..
Ditty and I had talked earlier about why I haven't asked for an honorarium when I speak. My reply was I would hate for for a group to not have me speak because they couldn't give me one. Gaza's story is too important to have to pay to hear it. She understood my reasoning but had doubts about it. Especially since I need to fund raise for my trip.
Anyway, she placed baskets around the room and after the presentation announced anyone wishing to help defray the expenses of my return trip to Gaza in the fall could leave a donation and keep me in their thoughts and prayers. The response was generous, very generous...one person handed me a large bill to be used for the trip or the art exhibit. I'm unsure of what to do...should arrangements be made so those wanting to can leave a donation?
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