60th Post- What does Israel mean to me?

This would be my 60th post- and as it was just Israel's 60th anniversary, I thought it might be nice to post on what Israel means to me.

It means a land, a Jewish land.
A land of Torah and Kedusha.
A land of freedoms- freedoms one might not even recognize or value, until one lives in a place without them.
A land of simcha- happiness, and pure joy.
A land of giving, of chesed, tzedaka, of helping others and being helped, even unknowingly.
A land of Mesirus Nefesh- self-sacrifice, of pride, success, of failure and of hope.
A land of Yidden- of Jews, of all backgrounds, of all walks of life, of all types of religiosity.
A land of growth, of struggle, of trying to do the 'right thing'.
A land to connect to Hashem, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, our Father- who we feel closer to in this land than ever before.
A land of unity, even when it doesn't seem like it.
A land of yashrus- straightness- a land where everyone cares about everyone.
A land of progress, and of tradition. Of our Gedolim, and all the people who follow them, and of those who emulate them.
A land where every Mitzva done counts more, simply because it's done here.
A land where every Aveira done counts more, simply because it's done here.
A land with 9/10 of the measures of beauty in the world- and living proof of it.
A land of growth from the desert, of flourishing orchards, and yishuvim, moshavim, neighborhoods and plantings.
A land I'm proud to be in, and a land which hopes for Mashiach, every day.