To my family and friends .. there are truly no words that can truly capture what your love and support have meant to me in the months, since Mo’s passing. In ways both big and small, seen and unseen, you’ve help me up when I felt like I might fall. You’ve given me space to grieve while reminding me that I am never alone. Whether it was through a call, a message, a quiet presence, or simply showing up, you have helped me find strength on the hardest days.
This is my love letter to you. A small attempt to express the gratitude that words will never full be able to hold.
To my mom
I don’t know where I would be if my mom hadn’t stepped in the way she did. She put her own life on hold to move in with me, to help me take care of my kids, to make sure that even when I was barely holding it together, my children never felt the weight of my grief.
She has already raised her children, yet here she is, raising mine with me. I know this isn’t easy for her, and I don’t take it for granted. Every moment she is there when I can’t show up for myself, when the weight is too heavy, she carries it with me.
I pray that God allows me to take care of her the way she has taken care of me.
To My Family. To My Friends – His and Mine.
You have been my quiet strength, my safety net when I needed it most. From making sure I was never alone in those early days to continuing to check in, reminding me that even in grief I should try and have some fun. To remember that I’m surrounded by love. I see it and I appreciate it.
You all have stepped in for my kids, showing up for them, cheering for them, making sure they never feel a missing piece as deeply as I do. That love is something I will never take for granted.
From the moment Fuad passed, you held me up.
You showed up. You called. You came. You sat with me when I couldn’t find words. You reminded me to eat. You reminded me to breathe. You reminded me that I was not alone.
You were there in the hospital, standing with us in those final moments. You were at the Mosque for the Janazah. As I watched them carry him out, I turned around and was met with nothing but support. People I knew, people I didn’t, sisters I had never met embracing me, holding me up when I could barely stand. These moments will always stay with me.
When you reminisce about him, when you keep his name alive, when you show up to my son’s game. It is your way of making sure his presence never fades. In those moments, I feel the weight of your support. And I am so, so thankful.
You also showed up for me.
You let me just be. Whether that was sitting in silence, watching me tear apart room as I tried to reclaim my space, or showing up week after week just to make sure I was okay. You drove across the city after work, multiple nights, just to sit with me, just to let me have a safe place to fall asleep.
You reminded me to laugh again. To joke. To feel like myself. And I don’t know if I would have gotten to this point with out you.
To Those Who Continue to Remember
To those who keep Mo’s name alive, who send messages, who share their dreams of Mo, who remind me that he is still with us … thank you.
To those who check in on me and my kids, who make sure they feel loved beyond measure, who remind me that I am never truly alone … thank you.
To those who have helped in ways I never expected. The groceries, the diapers, the quiet acts of kindness that always seemed to come exactly when I needed then … thank you.
To those who have taken the time to write me letters, words I can hold onto and reread when I’m feeling low, reminding me to breathe, reminding me that it’s okay to not be okay … thank you. Those reminders are my saving grade on days when everything feels heavy. They remind me to be gentle with myself.
I don’t always answer to every message or pick up every call.I get quiet. Please know I’m sitting in my grief. But I see it all. I feel it all.
And I am grateful beyond words.
With love,
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