Dearest Little One,

You were always full of wonder, asking questions with depth beyond your years. Why was I born a girl at this exact place in time in this exact spot on Earth? How does reincarnation work? Why do some people discriminate based on age, orientation, financial status, religion, and/or faith? Certainly love is the answer, knowing no bounds, waiting patiently for us if we only have the courage to look.

You always spoke your mind even if you didn’t know it was impolite according to societal norms or expectations. Even if you did, I know you would have been fearless and persistent in your self-expression. You have always been deeply spiritual and never questioned the beauty of your soul. Blessed with the freedom to find deity all around, you found your own moral compass that suited you as a dedicated truth seeker and lifelong learner. This has led you on a quest for growth that is never ending.

You’ve always been a dreamer, seeking solace in your books. But you also had your own creativity, always citing your imagination whenever someone questioned where you got those ideas from. You never lose sight of the value that comes with playing pretend. Keep dreaming of how the world can be a better place and never stop using that to craft your goals in life.

Your natural resilience pulled you through so many obstacles, even when you faltered in the darkest of times. But don’t worry little one, that’s waiting for you in your teens and beyond. Just know that I am waiting for you, and all will be well.

If only you could see us now, I have every confidence you would be as proud of us as I am of you. Nourishing you is what pulls me through and keeps me going. In seeking all the love and light and happiness you were robbed of in those formative years, I find that I am reclaiming the self-love that always came so naturally to you. Yes, I have no doubt that I have made you proud.

Love, Your Whole Self

I knew you so well.
And I know as soon as you did it,
regret flooded over you like a river in a rainstorm.
You were filled with it.
Overflowing with sorrow of all you left behind.
Your family,
Your brother,
nephews,
and friends,
are left with unanswered questions
of why.

It was a mistake, we know it was.
And I am sorry.
That you felt so much pain in your heart
that you felt it was easier to not be here at all.
To take it all away from yourself like a thief.

Except you didn’t just rob yourself,
You robbed everyone who loved you,
Of all the years of joy and happiness that they should have had with you.
And never will.

One decision, one mistake,
and yet so many innocent people now suffer
the consequences.
In one instant an entire life in the making,
lost.

We were here
But we didn’t hear you calling our names.
But were you even calling?

“I’m sorry,” send.
For what?
“Love you.” Send.
What’s going on?
No answer.

Bang, gone.
22 years all down the drain,
22 years of laughter,
22 years of joy,
22 years of pain,
22 years of growing,
And learning, and making mistakes.
Except, this mistake you will never learn from.

And I continue to ask why.
But yet, I could not be in your head,
I could not feel your pain,
your sadness,
your suffering.
So who am I to place your blame?
If I could, I would have sucked it out of you like a vacuum,
Because you deserved better.

I tried to understand,
But I cant.
I know how it feels to want to end it all.
The emptiness,
The gut wrenching feeling that you’re not good enough.
The void that can’t be filled.
To shut the lights off,
Turn off the noise.

But even so,
I still can’t justify the mess you made,
Or wrap my head around the facts.
I cant believe what you are capable of.
My wounded heart just doesn’t understand
the wound you endorsed,
At the hands of yourself,

It feels surreal,
And I feel angry.
It feels like I’m constantly drowning,
And I’m trying to come up for a breath of air,
But someone is holding me down.
I see the surface, but just I cant reach it,
I’m out of control.

Or like I’m in one of those dreams where I am trying to run, but I’m stuck in slow motion.
Or the dream where you throw a punch,
but your fist is too heavy,
And it makes you angrier and angrier.
I’m so furious,
And I want to believe you’re at peace,
But how can I when you have been taken
From everything you love?

Your beauty was just too beautiful for the world.
Your kindness was too kind,
Your generosity was too generous,
Your personality was too big,
Your passion was too passionate,
Your strength was too strong.

You were too much for this Earth to handle.
Thats why she took you from us.
It took 22 years to find out
that you were too good for this world.

You wanted to receive your halo and wings early.
When daddy said you were his Angel,
he didn’t mean it literally,
But I guess you had other plans.

Now you will forever be 22 years young.
And I will forever wonder what could have been.

I wonder what it must be like
to have a normal self-image.
To not be swallowed up by body dysmorphia,
Stealing away every opportunity that comes.

I wonder what it must be like
to show up just as you are,
Instead of avoiding and hiding away,
So not to be seen the way that you are.

What a relief it would be
To look in the mirror and not see an enemy.
To not want to throw up at the sight,
Of the body that serves me every day

To not want to shatter the mirror into pieces,
As if it makes me go away.
To glance at my reflection in a window,
And not startle at the monster staring back.

I wonder what it would be like
To not pick myself apart,
And chip away any self-esteem left,
Just to convince myself of how bad I am.

What a relief it would be,
To have it be the last thing I’m worried about.
To feel good enough to chase a dream,
Even just good enough to participate.

To allow myself to feel excited,
Without the side conversations in my head.
The intrusive thoughts that shatter me
And suffering caused by distortion.

What it must be like
To wake up in the morning and not worry
About what new perceived image
You will have in the reflection this time.

To not be obsessed and compulsive.
To not base my activities around
How I feel about myself
To not be restricted.

I wonder what life I’d have
If I didn’t restrain myself from it.
To break free from the prison of my mind
That holds me chained against my will.

The disorder has me in a chokehold,
And there is no release.
I am in an endless battle with my mind,
And I wish I could just be free.

How does it feel
To not be restricted by behavior
That stops you from leaving your house?
Repetitive, agonizing, panicky behavior

What a relief it would be, to just be.

It couldn’t have been easy to have a daughter that dreams as big as I do. You and I both always knew that I was destined for something greater. So you poured everything you had into me to make sure that no opportunity was out of my reach.

Pride doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel when I look at you. To know that my immigrant parents, without any sort of formal education and a life of fear, danger, and oppression, provided me with the best education and privileges this world has to offer… it fills me with a sense of responsibility.

I don’t dream big for me. I dream big for our bloodline.

Growing up, I often thought about how easily my life could’ve turned out differently. If you didn’t have the guts to uproot our family to a whole new world, if you weren’t lucky enough to get that Visa, if you simply decided to settle somewhere else, I would’ve had a completely different life. One that may not have had as many opportunities as the one I currently live.

When thinking about that, it felt like I was given a gift. One that I would be selfish to throw away. One that took generations of blood, sweat, sacrifice, and tears, to finally make a reality. The more I learned about the history of our world, the more I understood how wronged we were in it.

Slowly, that sense of responsibility turned into an overwhelming guilt. Why did I get to live such a beautiful life of privilege when none of my ancestors before me were afforded the same? How could I carry on knowing that I lived in a world biased against my own people?

You watched me as I struggled with this strife. You consoled me as this guilt slowly ate away at my mind. You stood by me and continued loving me even when the demons got the better of me. As I was making decisions that broke your heart, you were still there to help me mend mine.

Through your unconditional support, I slowly began to dream again – to believe that a brighter world was not only possible, but that it was up to me to create it.

As I began sharing my story – our story – with the world, you gave me the space to do so. As I started to understand that I wanted to dedicate my life to the journey of self-discovery, you told me to go for it. As I decided to take all of my education and opportunity and throw away the stability of a traditional, good-paying job, you never doubted my vision.

How did I get so lucky to have parents like you?

Thanks to you, I’ve made a name for myself. I stand for something greater than myself. I teach, inspire, and encourage others to embrace everything about who they are because you taught me how to do that.

You taught me to never doubt myself and so that is exactly what I did, even when not doubting me meant taking on doubt from you. Still, I stood strong, like you showed me to do, and slowly showed you the vision I’ve been seeing all along.

Now, look at us! A family of business owners with a world of opportunities at the horizon.

We did it.

And by “we”, I don’t just mean me, you, and my sisters. I mean all of us. Dhadha, and Dhadi, and everything they did to raise you into the parents you became. Their parents after them and all that they taught them. All of our ancestors and every decision they made to make our bloodline as strong as it is to have made it here.

We did it. We finally made it to living a life of opportunity instead of a life of survival.

You see, dreams do come true. But, they aren’t made over night or even over one lifetime. Dreams are forged through the strife, the pain, the values & virtue, the traditions, the struggle, the hustle of generations of human existence.

We all carry the history of the people that came before us, and with that, the dreams.

So, Mommy & Papa, I know having a daughter that dreams as boundlessly as I do can be overwhelming at times. But, I think you always knew to some degree that I dream so largely and loudly because you never got to.

None of us ever got to until now. Until me.

I hope I make you proud in dreaming so loudly for all of us. Time to put our name on the map.