The more things change

 
She struggled with her faith
Felt as if she’d be condemned to an eternity of hell
Simply because she felt free and loved
Battling the conscience
Of years of teachings and preaching and indoctrination
 
Her mother didn’t want to say..
As if unable to accept her daughter for being this way
It’s not who she was or what she was taught
Then again,  
Who are we really on the inside when trying to find ourselves?
 
Still she struggled with her belief
Wondering if mother or grandmother would still love her
While the rest of us want to scream  
"They love each other…
And they make the perfect pair”
 
Then there’s a slow shift
Perhaps acceptance of love and respect
It’s still such a fragile thing
Sometimes words don’t have to be said
Because an embrace can convey so much
 
There’s a wedding some time ahead
A celebration of love between two beautiful souls
As we give it time we see the change
When the past accepts tomorrow’s coming tide

"It was right over there-- that's where it happened," I said to Caleb and Yael.

I had brought my older brother and sister to show them where I saw that what happened, was for real. I know it was.  At first, they were annoyed with me for dragging them all the way to the top of Mount Tamor, (which is really just a big hill) and they thought I was fooling them.

"This is just another one of your pranks, Lior," Caleb said to me, and Yael agreed with him.  

I'll admit, I've been known to liven things up a bit-- herding sheep all day and watching them eat, can get pretty boring , so once I tied Yael's favorite scarf on one of the ewe's head, and oooh, she wasn't happy-- Yael, not the sheep.

"I'm not kidding this time--look, can you see how the ground is glowing?  That's where he was standing ."

I was tending the sheep as usual that day, and when I heard voices, I hid behind some bushes .  I didn't know who might be in my father's pasture, but I saw from my hiding spot, that it was the Rabbi, Jesus Bar-Joseph and Peter, John and James.  

I stayed hidden because I wanted to hear what they were saying.   I was too far away to hear all of it , but all of a sudden, Rabbi Jesus lit up like the sun and his clothes turned all white !

"And Moses and Elijah just showed up out of nowhere!" I said to Caleb and Yael, "then I heard this loud voice say 'This is my son, with who I am well pleased'"

Hoo-boy.... I was sure scared and I kept quiet so they wouldn't see me.  I didn't know what was going on but just as quick as they appeared, Moses and Elijah disappeared and the bright light stopped except for on the ground where the Rabbi stood.

Then, as Rabbi Jesus and his friends started to leave, he turned right in my direction -- he saw me! The Rabbi looked right at me like the bushes weren't even there, and he winked at me and smiled!

"I waited until they had all gone back down the hill, then I crept out of the bushes and went over to the place on the ground that was still glowing like it is right now. "

The sheep were still grazing and I was still shaking from what I had just seen, so I knelt down and put my hands on the dirt where Rabbi Jesus stood.  I wanted to see if the light would stay if I touched it and it did, and no fooling, it felt warm!  I wasn't scared anymore, even when I heard the whisper come from the glowing spot.

"It said 'it's all true, Lior' and then I believed it. Everything that Rabbi Jesus taught in the temple--it was all true!"

Caleb and Yael just looked at me, so I grabbed each of them by the hand and pulled them both over to the glowing spot on the ground.

"Come on!  You touch the light too, and see if it says something to you-- then you'll believe.  I'm not kidding you , this time!"