It has been a full month since my last post but I have very little to report. I have been sick for most of the month and spent a great deal of the time sleeping.

I have managed to go to several classes during this time, and things are progressing rapidly along this front. Last week I started going to class regularly again. Some of the lessons are double in order to make up for the times that I missed, and new pieces are coming at me rapidly. With only about 2 months to go there is still a lot of material to learn so my days are now filled with practice.

I have not yet found a shul in the US to lead services at for this year, but am continuing to search. In the mean time, my instructor is trying to secure a position for me here in Israel. While the position would not pay much and the place is not a big shul, it would give me the experience that would help me get a better position next year. More on this will be posted as things progress.

I had a wonderful Shabbat this week. It started on Friday night with services and dinner with a cousin who is in Jerusalem for the next couple weeks. I cannot express how grateful I am to actually have family here! There will be 2 more cousins coming soon as well and I look forward to seeing them as well.

Lunch Saturday was with a local friend. They will be moving back to the US in a few weeks, but we will be able to stay in touch via Skype until I return to the US in September as well.

Another friend that I met here, a fellow cantorial student, moved back to the US this past week. She has a part time pulpit about 300 miles from my home, and at some point I hope to go there to see and hear her.

Speaking of home, I have been thinking more and more about returning to the US myself. That will occur in about 2 months, and I cannot express how much I am looking forward to being with my wife and family again. While I certainly will miss being here in Jerusalem, my overwhelming desire to be with my wife makes my pending departure and return home something that I look forward to.

I said at the beginning of this blog that I recognized that my absence would be difficult on me but even harder on my wife. I cannot possibly put into words the strength she has shown or my gratitude to her for allowing me to follow this dream.