This should have a date of January 20th, 2009. I tried to change the date of the entry but couldn't figure out how to. Either I'm hopelessly technically-impaired or God is telling me that you can never go back in time.
The decision to move from California to Illinois was an agonizing one. I would be leaving behind so many happy memories, a sister-hood of friends- an eclectic and diverse Muslim community, 70 degree weather AND idyllic scenery! On the plane, I was softly crying to myself for much of the way wondering if we had actually-albeit temporarily-lost our minds, the faces of my best friends haunting me the whole way.
I tried to distract myself with the in-flight entertainment ("Ocean's Eleven") that was playing on the screen in front of me but no matter how dreamy Brad Pitt looked, he could not compete with the voices in my head: How would I navigate the in-laws? Would they continue to accept me? How would the children handle the transition? Would I start to lose my own identity? What about that notorious materialism and elitism within the Chicago Ind-Pak community? I began to quietly pray to Allah to show me a sign that we had made the right decision. I had to be careful. This was still only months after 9/11 and a brown middle-aged lady on a plane wearing a headscarf, whispering in Arabic would have been a worrying sight for most of my fellow passengers!
When we finally arrived at O-Hare, the boys started whizzing down the terminal with the baggage carts while I collected my thoughts and my hand luggage. The sun was shining brightly through those enormous picture windows next to the moving walkways. Something unexpected happened. A bevy of relatives had come to greet us at the airport. My 2 year old niece, my brother and sister-in law were all waving madly at us. We had informed no one as it was a week-day and were planning to take a taxi. But there they all were, smiling widely at the gate. Two burly cousins took the carts from my boys and my elderly maternal uncle started hugging the three of them and even picked up the then 6 year old Hasan.
But something I will never forget: a song was playing in the background: " A New Day Has Come!" by Celine Dion.
To this day I have no idea what the song is really about- probably some dodgy French-Canadian relationship.
For me, it was the answer I was looking for- (yes, I sometimes think God is talking to me through popular music). A voice told me I would no longer have the Pacific Ocean or the breath-taking mountains that surround you every where you go in that beautiful state-but that a new day HAD come. One in which my children would know the value of family: the sleep-overs, the chaotic mass breakfasts, the arguments over the playstation, the impromtu pizza parties , even the story-telling sessions from their great-uncle.
Ironically, I am not even a Celine Dion fan but that song plays in my head every now and again when I know one chapter has ended and a possibly more exciting one is about to begin.
Today when I saw Obama finally being sworn in during that surreal ceremony, I heaved a sigh of relief, muttered a quick prayer of gratitude that a new day- God-willing- has indeed come.
The decision to move from California to Illinois was an agonizing one. I would be leaving behind so many happy memories, a sister-hood of friends- an eclectic and diverse Muslim community, 70 degree weather AND idyllic scenery! On the plane, I was softly crying to myself for much of the way wondering if we had actually-albeit temporarily-lost our minds, the faces of my best friends haunting me the whole way.
I tried to distract myself with the in-flight entertainment ("Ocean's Eleven") that was playing on the screen in front of me but no matter how dreamy Brad Pitt looked, he could not compete with the voices in my head: How would I navigate the in-laws? Would they continue to accept me? How would the children handle the transition? Would I start to lose my own identity? What about that notorious materialism and elitism within the Chicago Ind-Pak community? I began to quietly pray to Allah to show me a sign that we had made the right decision. I had to be careful. This was still only months after 9/11 and a brown middle-aged lady on a plane wearing a headscarf, whispering in Arabic would have been a worrying sight for most of my fellow passengers!
When we finally arrived at O-Hare, the boys started whizzing down the terminal with the baggage carts while I collected my thoughts and my hand luggage. The sun was shining brightly through those enormous picture windows next to the moving walkways. Something unexpected happened. A bevy of relatives had come to greet us at the airport. My 2 year old niece, my brother and sister-in law were all waving madly at us. We had informed no one as it was a week-day and were planning to take a taxi. But there they all were, smiling widely at the gate. Two burly cousins took the carts from my boys and my elderly maternal uncle started hugging the three of them and even picked up the then 6 year old Hasan.
But something I will never forget: a song was playing in the background: " A New Day Has Come!" by Celine Dion.
To this day I have no idea what the song is really about- probably some dodgy French-Canadian relationship.
For me, it was the answer I was looking for- (yes, I sometimes think God is talking to me through popular music). A voice told me I would no longer have the Pacific Ocean or the breath-taking mountains that surround you every where you go in that beautiful state-but that a new day HAD come. One in which my children would know the value of family: the sleep-overs, the chaotic mass breakfasts, the arguments over the playstation, the impromtu pizza parties , even the story-telling sessions from their great-uncle.
Ironically, I am not even a Celine Dion fan but that song plays in my head every now and again when I know one chapter has ended and a possibly more exciting one is about to begin.
Today when I saw Obama finally being sworn in during that surreal ceremony, I heaved a sigh of relief, muttered a quick prayer of gratitude that a new day- God-willing- has indeed come.
2 comments:
Is it not amazing, that all over the world people are feeling that surge of hope since the election of Obama. Hopefully- and God-willing- he will be the one to bring the dream of peace in the Middle East to fruition.
hahaha! very interesting because I have been wanting to start my own blog and when I finally did I ended it with "A new day!" But the song is actually about the birth of her son I believe..btw is it wrong to be reading this in my head with a british accent??
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