A Little Ray of Sunshine

Occasionally, things happen that shake a person to their core. Earlier today I got a text message from a dear friend of mine asking for prayers for a girl who was kidnapped from the Adams Center - the prominent Islamic center in NoVa. An hour later the message came..."her body has been found" (see more info here). At that moment, I was in the car with my eldest daughter and saw the message on my watch. I grabbed my phone away from her and acted as normal as I could while my heart started to weep for this young girl, and what she experienced in her last moments of her life. Even now, it weeps for the senselessness of this act. It weeps for her parents. It weeps for the world we live in. It weeps for the sense of security robbed away from so many Muslims in the NoVa area. It weeps for a generation who must be taught vigilance along with religion.

While all of this was in my mind, I walked into a local Trader Joe's with my daughter, both in traditional clothes and both wearing hijab. Each stare and wide berth we were given were another prick at an already injured heart, but I kept a smile on my face as my daughter who was oblivious to all around her kept chattering away about what we had just learned at our Islamic spirituality class. When we got to the checkout, I saw the cashier was the guy who had been parked next to us when we came in and had been rummaging in his car for something. While he was checking out the lady in front of us he kept looking at my daughter and I and listening to our conversation. When it was my turn, I put a big smile on my face and said a big "hello" and "how are you". He smiled back, asked how our day was going, then said we both looked nice, followed by a "don't you get hot?"

I said, with a smile, "No, the body becomes used to it."

He immediately said, "Then you must get cold more easily."

I nodded with a bid smile, "Yup."

Then he asked the inevitable, "where are you from?"

I sighed, internally, and told him: "We were both born here, but our family is from Pakistan.

"Oh. Interesting. That must be an interesting place to be from."

Not knowing which way this conversation was going, but pretty sure it was harmless, I replied "Yes, it is. It's very rich in its culture."

He said "Really? How well versed are you about the history of the area?"

I replied, "Well enough."

"Can you tell me something from the history?",

Still a little wary given where my thoughts were when I came in, I went to neutral basics and told him about the separation for Independence between Pakistan and India in 1947, which later led to the three countries we have today, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh

"Really! I did not know that. Wow, that's an interesting fact. I did not know that. I'm happy I asked. Thank you for teaching me something I did not know. It's so important to learn." he ended with a meaningful glance.

"Yes, it is. And, a big thank you for asking. I appreciate that you asked, because that is how tolerance spreads." I said.

"Yes, it is, and it’s so important to be tolerant and learn...especially now."

By this time, he was done checking out our items, and turned himself fully towards my daughter and I, and said, "Thank you for giving me knowledge. I am so glad you came in to the store today. Please do come again."

Sitting here, my heart is still heavy, as I am getting caught up on the news coming out of London, where a man ran over Muslims leaving a mosque after Tarawih prayers (see more here). Again, my heart weeps.

It weeps for what we, as humans, have become. It weeps for the fear in my mind and heart of all that I must teach my kids while making sure they don't begin hating or fearing the world around them. It weeps for a desire of a better world full of love and peace. It weeps for the fear, anger, resentment beginning to take place in the hearts of a whole new generation caused by events out of their control. But, while my heart weeps, thinking about the interaction with that young man at Trader Joe's helps.

I go back to how, as I walked out of the store, the weeping was still there. The fear was still there. The worry was still there. The heartache was still there, but a little ray had broken through and was trying to spread its warmth, so everything was a tiny...little bit...less.

He is the reason tonight, I have a certain type of peace. He is why tonight, I pray my children and the other innocent souls in this world run into more people like him in this world and not the monsters out there. May all our kids, young and old, be protected, against all the evils of this world. Ameen.