Joy and Love Despite Every Obstacle

Today I drove a young lad named Mohammed back to Gaza, I had driven him out a few days ago and I knew then that I would be able to reach out to him in more ways than driving him back and forth. Like any young boy about 8 or 9 he was nervous meeting Simantov (another volunteer) and I at the border, and probably due to the austerity of his father, had to hold back a guarded sense of excitement about seeing new places. It was clear the mannerly father felt his son should be less energetic and excited (must be his first son). I shook the fathers hand and then extended it to Mohammed, and he smiled and shook it as well. When I saw his bright smile with big front teeth I was reminded of my little brother Jamie back at home who is about the same age and has the same kind of excitement when I come around. Once he got the clear impression from us that it was okay to be excited, just about everything was a thrill for him; from shaking his hand, to letting him load some bags, the rides through Israel, letting him close the trunk with all his might, sharing my Pringles with him, to the last high five I gave him before he went back to Gaza. It's inspiring to me to see such vibrant joy bursting through during such hostile times, especially in contrast to his father who in the face of this very thing seems to have been rubbed raw, hardened, and inevitably calloused. He only remained in the hospital for a few days because he had come in for a heart catheterization, his open-heart surgery is scheduled for the end of April and I’m really excited to see him again. Even though we only have the Gaza patients with us for a much shorter time than the Iraqi’s, I have a wonderful feeling that, perhaps despite his father’s efforts, he will go home to Gaza with a positive impression of me and my fellow workers that will last him his a lifetime, and render his experience here incompatible with any he might encounter in Gaza that would breed hatred or violence.