I got my friend, Moshe (an Israeli), to come with me to the cemetery and then to the place that makes headstones (really, it's a slab that covers the whole grave). I was really thankful to him for agreeing to come with me, because he was able to talk easily with both the guy at the cemetery and the one at the company that makes the slabs. They were both very nice, and I think I really got the cheapest one available, which would please David a lot. I'm not assuming here; we talked about this many times over many years.
My next task was easy enough in itself, but it turned out to be quite difficult emotionally. I needed to decide what to write on the slab and then write it. Somehow, it hit me pretty hard, but I'm pleased with what I've come up with. I called Moshe again to consult about a little of the Hebrew wording. The inscription will be in both English and Hebrew. I was glad that they do NOT include any extra charge for the writing or for the number of letters. My planned writing is not long, but I think it says what I want it to say. I'll post it when it's finalized, and then it will be literally written in stone.
Later, I invited Moshe to go to lunch with me, too, and took him to Chooka, where he had never eaten before. Afterwards, we walked around both levels of Ice Park together and I got the car filled with gas and washed before taking Moshe back home. I was so thankful for his company!
In the evening, I had more shiva visitors. First, my friend Tony and Annette, a couple originally from England, came, and we had a nice chat. Just after they left, two more friends, Liz and Karen, came. David and I used to run into them when we walked to the green strip in the early days here in Eilat. Both are English. Karen lives with her husband just a few doors up the street from us, and Liz also lives somewhere not too far away. I enjoyed an especially nice chat with both of them, who are wonderful women.
In honor or Jerusalem Day (which is today), I'll share this story of David's first visit to Israel:
Stories about David: His First View of the Temple Mount
This story happened before I met David, but he told it to me many times, so I know it was significant to him.
In 1993, he traveled with a group of other LGBT people from California to Israel. They came up to Jerusalem from the backside, from Jericho, and stopped at Mount Scopus to view the city.
David had just begun getting his eyesight back after his first (and longest) period of blindness. In particular, he had had surgery on his left eye, which had been seriously damaged in a mugging some years before. He tells about covering his right eye and being able to see the Temple Mount with his left one. It was a deeply significant and emotional moment for him.
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