ZIAD IN GAZA

 Our host family surprises me. Despite all the miserable things, and the daily struggle to secure bread, drinking water and water for toilets and washing; the struggle of dealing with fear, stress and uncertainty, they manage to gather – grandparents, children, the wife of the oldest, and three grandchildren – and for an hour or two at night they talk, laugh and sometimes sing and play games.

They always invite me and my sister to join but we politely refuse. We want to ensure we don’t invade their privacy, especially now that the whole evacuation situation has gone on much longer than we anticipated.

I don’t know how to describe it, but they are people of simple dreams and simple lives. I admire how they manage to tune out all the distraction and fear for a short while to enjoy being a family.

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Lying on the couch reflecting on my day, I am glad that amid all the misery, there is still a space for acts of kindness, signs of hope and moments of joy.

I believe that hope is an inner feeling; but from time to time, it should be a decision. And tonight, I choose to be hopeful. I close my eyes to try to relax, and I hope for a better tomorrow.