What our canceled summer vacation taught me about catching unexpected light.

We had the passports sitting on the counter, the itineraries printed out, and that sweet daydream of a family summer in Europe. We were ready to wander down cobblestone alleys with no schedule, buy gelato on every corner, and turn off our news alerts for two whole weeks.

Life decided to change our coordinates overnight.

No boarding passes. No airport terminal coffee. Within forty-eight hours, our home in Pardes Hanna turned into an unofficial orthopedic clinic. Our flight tickets were swapped for ice packs and a stack of medical prescriptions.

My husband got injured during reserve service. For an active man, a business owner, and a father of four, a serious back injury brings life to a dead stop. Our summer plan turned into a painful class on domestic vulnerability. We were back to the most basic human movements, helping him walk from the bed to the shower, and learning how to measure a morning’s success by whether he could sit by himself without immense pain.

Our living room became an obstacle course. We progressed from a walker to crutches, and from crutches to a rigid metal brace he will wear for months. Watching my teenagers take shifts to help their dad out of an armchair and watching our eight-year-old realize our vacation was........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)