You know you’ve got the short end of the stick for the day when you video call your husband from the tire puncture place, while watching him float down a river in Thailand.

But I don’t feel envious, or jealous, or frustrated. I just feel grateful for both of our journeys today. And here’s why.

Last night I realized that I had a flat tire, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it since new cars these days don’t come with spares (what in the world is the rationale for that?). I called Yedidim this morning, and am continually amazed by this incredible organization and the volunteers who give so much of themselves to help others. Yedidim, for those who don’t know, is an entirely volunteer organization that offers free roadside assistance anywhere in Israel. Within 20 minutes of my call, someone from a neighboring town arrived at my house in his reserve army uniform. Taking time out from his family, from his army duties, from his own life, he explained what he was going to do and helped me to get the tire up and running enough to get to the car repair center.

There are so many quiet heroes among us.

And that’s when my husband called from a waterfall somewhere in Pai District, Thailand. He’s there with our pre-army son, visiting our post-army son. And they are having the time of their lives.

And my gosh do they deserve it. The pre-army son has been living in the Golan this year, relishing in an amazing learning program while dealing with the rising tensions, the rockets being shot from Hezbollah, the daily uncertainty, and the not-uncommon run to the bomb shelter. We hope and pray that he’s returning to his program in two weeks, but don’t know what will happen.

The post-army son, well, we can’t really imagine what the post-army son has experienced. But we do know that he spent two months fighting in Gaza, he missed his brother’s bar mitzvah, and he has lost more friends than we can possibly imagine.

And so, they are all on a journey together to beautiful, peaceful, majestic parts of the world.

But as they travel, and as they run into Israelis everywhere that they go, Israel is never far from their hearts and minds. And it’s not even far from them visually.

In between waterfall pictures, they send pictures of walls, signs, poles around Thailand that are covered with hostage stickers and memorial soldier stickers. Everywhere they go, they are finding reminders of those we have lost and those we are desperately trying to get home; and each place that they see stickers, my soldier son points to those he knows, those who were friends, those he has personally lost. These stickers cover every inch of our daily lives in Israel; and Israelis are now bringing their lost friends and loved ones on journeys with them around the world.

My family has brought their own stickers with them as well to remember our neighbor and friend, Ephraim Jackman, who fell while fighting in Gaza.

And they wear bracelets in memory of Shilo Rochberger, one of Matan’s best friends who was murdered on October 7th while protecting his base.

Israelis love to travel. We always have. But now, perhaps more than ever, we are traveling as a reprieve from the soul crushing year we’ve had. And yet, as the stickers attest, we bring our pain, our memories and our loved ones with us, even if they can’t physically be with us anymore. It’s both so inspiring, and so desperately sad to see so, so many young, beautiful lives now represented by these stickers, bracelets and posters.

Many of these travelers, like my son, are taking a break in anticipation of the next round of fighting; of returning for their next reserve call up. And I think of the sense of freedom they are now experiencing, the release of tension, the relaxation; and worry, of course, about their return to the tension and fighting they will soon experience.

There are so many quiet heroes among us.

Which all brings me back to my gratitude. There is nothing easy about being Israeli these days. We awaken each morning to more reports of bombs, destruction and death; to more soldiers who have given their lives for our country; to more hostage talks and body discoveries; to more stories from October 7th and the days after; to more questions about where displaced families should go and how they will go on; the list goes on and on. There is so much uncertainly in our lives, that it’s hard to take care of the little things and to carry on.

But carry on we do, or at least we try to. And as we do so, I am grateful to an organization like Yedidim that makes it that much easier to carry on when life brings messy car troubles; and I’m grateful for the opportunity to offer my sons this incredible chance to unwind and to breathe different air for a while; and I’m grateful that while they do so, they never-ever forget those who have sacrificed so that they may live here and those who have sacrificed so that they may travel for a bit before returning home and taking up the fight themselves.

May we please, please know peace in our country soon.