No one has ever harmed me as much as I’ve harmed myself. And I’ve never helped myself as much as others have helped me. I’ve been the recipient of great generosity and kindness, all through my life.
People who have helped me in significant ways include Imad Ajaji, Chris MacKnight, Dr. Sayed Badr, Kathleen Button, an anonymous woman in Texas, Joe Strauss, Laura Hale, Nora Smith, Bill and Adam Brunner, Amy Estrada, Bruce Whitsitt, my parents, Haytham Soliman and Kea Grace. I remember these people with love and gratitude.
So how could I ever be cynical about the human heart? How could I give up on humanity, or on the mercy that God has placed in people’s hearts?
I don’t imagine that I am the only person helped by those people. They have probably helped many others as well, because that’s the kind of people they are. They are oases in the desert. They change the world around them for the better.
I can’t change my past. But I want to be a father that my daughter Salma can admire, and will remember with love and gratitude. I want to leave a legacy that will help other people long after I’m gone.
What about you, how will you be remembered? What is your legacy? Let’s think about it while we still have the strength and will to act.