My Dear Daughter

My dear daughter,

I was dreaming of you last night. You were two years old and my fingers crawled on your tummy while I sang the nursery rhyme ‘itsy bitsy spider’. You laughed so cheerfully and murmured, “Again!” My fingers crept on your little body and you laughed joyfully. I will miss those times forever.

Last week, you were upset with me. You cried on your grandma’s lap because you thought mummy was upset with your exam results. But I wasn’t. I was concerned, yes, but I wasn’t disappointed. Although I have high hopes for you, I do not impose high expectations on you. I just wanted to teach you the discipline you will need in order to succeed. But whatever it is, you make me proud.

My dear daughter,

I am sorry you have to grow up so fast. To realise, at your tender age, that some dreams end up broken and life can be cruel at times. I wish you could witness a fairytale love, a life devoid of sadness, a life abundant in prosperity and wealth. But you saw, instead, frustration and despair. I am trying my best, although I know you will not understand it now.

The most difficult thing in life is to have faith that life is beautiful. There is ugliness that surrounds the beauty of nature which God intended. War, poverty, disease… these could rob away your faith and make you lose hope in life. Please don’t. As mummy was recovering from surgery, I was surrounded by darkness. But know this, my dear daughter, even in the deepest depths of the ocean where sunlight cannot enter, there is life, creatures that glow in the dark. Even in the far recesses of the universe, light and indeed hope, can still enter.

My dear daughter,

In order to succeed in life, one must be consistent. There will be good days, there will be bad days. Some days you will take two steps forward, then three steps back. Sometimes, what you build may not last, just like the sand castles you build may get washed away by the tide. But don’t despair. Keep building. Keep moving one step at a time. Know that the journey that you will be taking is a thousand miles, long and sometimes arduous. Keep walking. Keep going.

But there will be one point where you will question your journey. I have no answer for that question, only you will be able to answer it. You need to ask yourself, what is the price you are willing to pay for your dreams? You may lose and you may regret. That is part of the human experience, something that you will have to carry your whole life.

My dear daughter,

Know that your father is my true love. I can never love any man as much as I loved him. But circumstances made us this way. Out of our union, I have you. You are the best thing that has ever happened in my life. A gift of unconditional love. I am lucky to have experienced that.

Lastly, my daughter. I pray that you are always in God’s Love. May God guide you and shine His light on you always. Believe that you can be happy and your wishes will come true, InsyaAllah. I pray for you always.

Mommy