To Papa, with love

Even on the stormiest days I’d see him smile. He never frowned, glared or scowled. If he had nothing warm to say in a conversation, he’d choose silence or just excused himself.

I never needed to be someone else when I was around him. The laughter was real, the giggles unstoppable and the dreams were big!

Papa took pride in all that I did…

He enjoyed helping me ice the cakes I baked over the weekend and then washed the mess we had created. He helped me fold away my clothes when my cupboard was jumbled up. He picked me up from school on Thursdays and would buy us a cool orange drink, the taste of which still remains fresh in my mind.

While I’ve learnt innumerable values from papa the one thing he always lived by was gratitude. He would not participate in pity parties. He had unwaivering faith in the promise of sustainence and kept his head on his shoulders through rough times. Today when I make decisions I look upon his legacy and wisdom to follow in his footsteps.

What would papa do? What would he advise? I ask…

Stop complaining. Be kind. Be in faith. Trust the process. Give it a chance. Don’t grumble. Value your health. Respect your relationships. Stand firm in your prayers. Pick good friends. Rise after each fall. Always put matters beyond your grasp into the hands of Allah, then be patient and follow the light.

We all have a go to person with whom we can untangle our thoughts…

Sometimes you don’t see them in person because they now live within you as the values they seeded — thank you papa for teaching me to be grateful not as a lesson but as a way of your life.

Gratitude has kept me afloat on some of my darkest days. It has been my ray of hope!

What keeps you going when the tide is high? Let us know in comments.