To My Shining Star

From the day you were born I knew you were special. We named you Noora and just like the meaning of your name you were always “Noor” which means light, shining and lighting up every room by your presence. A much sought out baby your big grey eyes searched mine intently as you wiggled and kicked in my arms full of life.

As the years went by I watched you grow into the beautiful young lady you are today. Sixteen years just flew buy… too quickly… too fast… Looking back I covet the beautiful memories we shared, the songs we created and the poems and the games we played. You aced school and was always the star of the class. At the young age of eleven we discovered your talent in crocheting and you created your very first crochet bunny all on your own. And then at the age of twelve you excelled in horse riding even when you had a serious accident falling head first off the horse, as soon as your condition permitted you were back on the horse determined to ride again full of bravery. You always persevered, never giving up. I am in awe at your strength. While most girls your age followed tick tock or spent hours on makeup tutorials, you were always learning and always creating charming things such as your picturesque artwork, your delightful handmade creations, your fascinating crafts and much more.

You’re a loyal friend and a good influence on those around you. Not only friends seek you but parents as well long for you to befriend their daughters. Noora you are a star, a light from God. You attract people and goodness wherever you are. So happy sweet 16 my love. May you continue to shine bright in every way I have no doubt that amazing things are in store for you as you continue to dazzle everyone by your greatness.

A Year Older A Lifetime Wiser

As I grow older I come to the realization more and more that the greatest achievements don’t lie in monetary materials but rather in emotional connection, quality time with loved ones and true healing and acceptance of oneself. Today I accept myself as I am. I will always be sensitive because I feel so deeply. I was once described as an antenna picking up other peoples emotions. Struggling with my own sensitivity and being prone to depression I always sensed other peoples struggles or joys. This is why I usually go the extra mile with people I meet even if we’ve just met. This didn’t necessarily work to my benefit as some people I went the extra mile with simply took advantage of it. I used to feel used and hurt however today I have no regrets. The people who took advantage of my kindness I still feel compassion towards for they display shortcomings. Happy and fulfilled people do not take advantage of others so for those who do I pray they heal from the need they have to use others. As for those who truly needed my sensitivity unconditionally I continue to have great relationships with them.

As I grow older I realized my sensitivity has also made me invest in some of the most truly wonderful friendships of all time. One of my biggest investments is the friends I made and the family I am surrounded with and sometimes as you grow older this is all you need. As I grow older I’m much calmer and much more attuned to myself. I no longer give myself fully to others nor share more than I should. As I grow so does my lack of need to be liked and accepted by everyone I know… like I read somewhere why do you want everyone to like you when you don’t like everyone yourself?

As I grow older I practice awareness and living in the present for the future is unknown and the past is gone so all you really have is the present moment. The present will be a distant memory so I learned to make the most of it. I spend more quality time with my children and with my parents as I learned that creating lasting memories with the people you love is an investment in itself when all you have left are the memories.

In your growth what have you learned and what do you practice?

What We Carry

We all carry some kind of pain inside of us. Sometimes it is the loss of a loved one, a failure in a relationship, a betrayal by a close friend and so on… A lot of times life does let us down and the pain it leads to results in a low vibration which leads to a low emotion. Lately I’ve been unable to let go of some of what hurt me in the past. The pain still feels raw and all consuming. With time and self reflection I learned that it is not about letting go of the pain but about learning to carry it with us with grace. It is about accepting that there are things that hurt us in the past or continue to hurt us in the present and allowing ourselves to feel the pain fully rather then learning to suppress and surpass it. When you accept the pain as part of your journey in life and carry it with you instead of fight it you learn grace. The hurt and the depression it causes will always be there just like the joy and the aspirations will also be there. Just as life lets us down at times, life does also lift us up. So how do we deal with life’s downs and the low vibrations they cause while not allowing them to consume our lives? It is the belief that something better will come around the corner, just like the loss of a loved one a birth of a new loved one might happen, an honest relationship might follow a failed one and a friend with integrity might follow the betraying one. We can intentionally allow ourselves to feel gratitude and hope which offer a higher vibration which in turn leads to higher more positive emotions and outlook. So as we accept that the hurt will remain with us as part of our journey in life and that that is important for our wellbeing, we must also learn to envision a positive outcome afterwards. Instead of seeing pain and hurt as a drawback lets see them as experience, as a stepping stone that thickened our skin and made us wiser and more informed while we anticipate something better to come along the way.