i saw this in a recent article.. describes exactly how i feel... (although my mom will surely not appreciate the "rest of their lives" comment!) :)

"The people who are going to Israel come from very committed backgrounds," said Batya Dashefsky, the Israeli emissary for the Aliyah Center in Los Angeles. "I think they take the long view. They realize that things are difficult now, but [aliyah] fits into the way they see themselves as Jews, and they are able to see the bigger picture. Something that happens today or yesterday doesn’t affect what happens to the tomorrow, because they are going for the rest of their lives."