Expression of The Best Version of Self

Why does it feel so good to be in the presence of certain people? 

I can assure you this, it is because each one of us exhibits a certain energy, both physically/externally, but on a deeper level, an energy which exudes who we represent: our mind, our thoughts, our actions, our personality, our past and our future, our visions, our convictions and beliefs, our abilities, our victories, our ideas, our likes and our dislikes our voices, our speech and communication. When we share with others, the greatest aspects of ourselves, we are unwittingly allowing them to live through us, and vice versa. What do we bring forth to the table, literally, when we are in the presence of our friends, family, co-workers? 

It is so important to express your best version on a daily basis. Mainly because your worst version is almost always ready to explode and make you feel like an even worse version of yourself. It’s extremely imperative, thus, that your workplace: the physical place where you spend so much of your time, allow good expression to come out. Sure, sometimes it’s exhausting to be out there, serving and being kind all the time. It takes energy! But use your time that way. Surround yourself with co-workers who encourage you and make you feel important. It makes a huge impact on the quality of our lives. 

Think about this: when we are younger so much of our time is spent in school. It literally shapes us for so long! But since we’re sort of in our purer forms, unaltered by social expectations and such, we sort of just naturally allow ourselves to shine, with out inhibitions. (This is why it is so imperative for parents and educators to offer a multitude of opportunities for children, so they may discover and release their talents and strengths. They are just waiting to be unleashed, and they are almost always unique for each child! And yes, some children may not be awesome at a certain thing they are presented with, but the challenges are so important too!) Childhood is a time when we are accepted for who we are because we “don’t know any better” but to be loud and verbal, to have outbursts, to start skipping for no reason, to say silly things that we imagine, to be, quite simply, ourselves. It’s when we get older where we hit pressures…you know what I mean…it starts with body sprays and A&F labels around middle school…you know, when everyone becomes more aware…or shall I say, less aware of who they are (and more aware of what everyone else as a whole is)! 

I was thinking about this, and the reason we feel so great, often times, in the presence of our closest friends, family, or people with whom much of your time is spent–even on a professional, formal level– is not only because we feel comfortable, but because we are enriching ourselves and most of all, allowing the best versions of ourselves to be expressed. You heard me, best version. Yup, I am meaning to say that we have different aspects to us (why am I acting like this is a surprise!). Face it, you get along with certain people because they just…get you. And face this too, they have their opinions of you because of the memories you’ve shared. And that’s…quite okay. In fact, it’s awesome.

What I am really also trying to get at here, is how important it is to be a person with whom the other person who is sharing your company, can exhibit his/her best version. It can be completely natural, not like a phony politeness or laughing even when what you say isn’t funny kind of “best version.” Not the “Going on an interview, suit-and-tie kind of best version.” I mean a genuine, true, good spirit version that is within all of us. The kind that feels so good when it comes out, because it sort of impresses you…like man, I am funny, or I’ve had some good times in life and I love sharing them with someone else. A kick-back-and-enjoy-the-company-and smile-and be quiet for second- kind of best version.

There is a great honor in good company, and being such. It allows us to thrive and make it through this test of life. When we have someone believing in us, they’re energy remains in our hearts even when they may not be physically present. And that makes us stronger and motivated. And this, my friend, is an everlasting energy for you to possess from others, and for you to unintentionally give to others. Quite powerful, huh?

Strive to polish your self and overcome your angry, selfish desires. Leave a legacy my friends, in which you can continue to shine and live through others because of your amazing self-expression, and remain open to the positive influence of those around you.

(PS: Everyone has something to offer, so just give them a chance to express something you can take from them!) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why does my absent  mind always bring me back to you? It’s as though you whisper, and I come running right on cue. I know we could never work out– and that you’re not even who I want. To you, I am almost certain, I’m just someone whom you can taunt.   But whether I’m on land, in air, on sea, or underground For you, it seems, I will always be so unecessarily heart-bound

so ready to turn around

You’re present in my dreams, while I sleep and some when I’m awake I sometimes wonder is our love real, or is it all just fake? Or what is it at all, and was it ever meant to be? When will our spell be broken, I’m waiting to be set free I’ve tried so hard to be so strong Maybe you haven’t got a clue or maybe you do, but you’ll stay thinking I’ll always come back to you.

The Dream of Life

Our creator gave life to our souls, in physical forms and placed us on Planet Earth to inhabit it. He gives all life forms frequency, eyes, ears. He gave man, the greatest creation of all, speech, complex brains, and greatest of all, hearts that have emotion: the ability to feel, and love. Love, by the way, is single-handedly the most powerful force in the universe. 

Our selves are meant to explore the planet given to us, to meet others, interact with them, share ourselves, and just…be. Most of all, we are to seek knowledge. Some of it comes from books, some of it comes from age, some of it comes from listening. A lot of it comes from service and experience. And so we discover who we are…only after we’ve made as many memories as we possibly could, and define ourselves by it. We should be fearless and seize the possibilities because there are so many given to us. 

 All life forms on this planet, are finite. Who you become eternally is defined by your actions and accomplishments whilst on earth. Now, circumstances and environment make situations difficult sometimes, and nobody said it was easy… but the world keeps going, and so does life. So now’s your chance to seize it and make it count. And remember, be you while doing it…everyone else is taken.

 The recipe? Faith, courage, hope, love, respect, honor, dignity, integrity, responsibility, appreciation, knowledge, wisdom, guidance. You will make it. Centuries have.

What you must understand and master is self-love and respect, because this eternal journey begins and carries on through time and space with yourself. Only you can experience it. Know your role and identity– and just live it– the best you can. Don’t worry, God takes care of most things, you just have to accept or handle them. You won’t lose if you just learn to relax and remember, you’re in good hands. He has a plan for you, and He did before you even existed. Your ability to love, be drawn to certain people, your speech, voice, physical beauty, even your personality…these are gifts from God. Not to mention, your family, your wealth, your circumstance. Don’t compare yourself to others; be inspired by the greater, and be stronger than the weaker. But most importantly, know you are who you are, and are only capable of knowing that much. You don’t know truly about who you perceive to be greater, nor who you perceive to be weak.

 Each living thing has value- it is a forever thing, and it’s righteous just the way it is. The people you meet, lives you touch, things you do are permanent. So do it right. You will transform through time, and at every given moment, will be exactly where you are meant to. You will always become stronger. But what won’t change is your heart, and those who have touched it, or your memories, or your frequency.

I pray to Allah t’ala that the moments He has planned for us, and brings forward to us, be experienced in the best way for us. May He give us the tawfiq to learn how to recite the Qu’ran and memorize it, and use all our body parts in the best forms. Our tongues to pray, our eyes to see the beauty of His creations, our touch to warm our loved ones, our hands to work and earn a fair living, our legs to move forward toward wonderful experiences. I pray, the people we meet, the food we enjoy, the actions we commit, are all good for us, and that no calamity befalls us that we cannot bear. May Allah t’ala protect us and our loved ones. Ameen. 

My Dream

My dream is to go to Africa on a safari and be with the giraffes and elephants!

And I would pray salat on the fields 🙂

Living to Believe – Inspiration from a 7th Grader

Great blog post by a seventh grader. Wisdom is a gift from God, and can come at any age.

A Sincere Soul's Life Experiences

Can I believe, or will I never? Will my dreams be good, or will they haunt me forever? Will I ever be inspired, or will I stick to wondering what it’s like? What path do I take? Which way do I turn? What’s waiting around the corner? How do I overcome it all?

I feel like life is stopping me from believing. Like not believing is stopping me from following my dreams. Like not following my dreams is what’s stopping me from being inspired.

It’s like my body is caving in. Weakening at the very thought of having to live with life. But if living with life is the only thing that can help me believe, that can help me face my fears, then who am I to run from it?

But life is not only beautiful. It is not only pure. Because purity can only be found through hurt. But doesn’t the hurting have to…

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I Can’t Swim

I can’t swim. It is terrifying, and I feel powerless. I can’t coordinate breathing and balancing my body. It is not something I learned as a child, and it has been something my parents have held me back from.

 

It has been hard for me to accept that I can’t do something; so I tried to learn, and I didn’t succeed. Perhaps it was the timing, and it definitely was the circumstances. I was not comfortable with my instructor, the dress code, and definitely the water.

But that’s alright. I surrender…”I give up.” But want to know something? I didn’t give up at all. I just am accepting that “EVERYTHING I AM NOT, MAKES ME EVERYTHING I AM.” I am not an athlete. I am not a swimmer. But guess what? Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the water. Doesn’t mean I won’t encourage my progeny to swim. Doesn’t mean I lost. 

Eating Out

Oh the woes of eating out. See, the thing about eating out is…that you actually have to eat! It’s not about the money, or the environment. No… really, it doesn’t take much to impress me, and I don’t like thinking about money, ever. Money is just paper that can’t buy happiness. It should be spent freely, because if it means it will allow for greater things to ensue, such as a chance to meet up with people, then ok, “charge” me. But what this rant is really about, is that you actually have to pick something out of this “menu” of options…and then eat it, while you’re out with company. See, I don’t feed off the food. I feed off the energy of seeing friends, telling stories, taking in my atmosphere. That’s exciting. Food…well, Alhumdulilah for food…but food can be stressful. Picking out what to eat, and then liking it…I guess I’m sort of a picky eater. Either that, or I haven’t developed a mature palate or decision-making skills. I just like…food given to me. Yeah, I said it. I like my mom cooking something, and then it being given to me to eat. No thinking involved. No waiting, no ordering, no charging. Just laughter and all the while you can stuff your face to keep your body going. I like fruit, and small portions. I don’t like fancy things all decked out and expensive. It makes me uncomfortable.

Until I See You, written and performed by Br. Ammar Al Shukry

I love this poem; it is about none other than our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It was written by my respected brother, Ammar, a UConn Alum and former MSA president. I can take no credit in this, but I want to share my love and appreciation of the beautiful words Br. Ammar has put together. He has a true gift, mashaAllah. I loved this so much, I wanted to share it. The written poem does no justice to the spoken performance, and I encourage visitors to experience it, to hear it from the author himself:

Until I See You

You are the best person I’ve ever known.

Best friend, I’ve never met.

Your sincerity to me is blinding, enough to completely canvas the world with drapes that read: RESPECT, HONOR, LOVE, PROTECT.

While creating a window for me to zoom in on the important things…but, those are the things that I forget; or…neglect.

I will do better.

Your ummah is fine. Not because of me, or mine, or…wounds that heal with time. Those who would die for a dollar sign, but…because of promises divine.

So when we feel like we’re at our worst, and- our sadness would cause our hearts to burst, it feels like there there are times when there are angels within our lines.

Or hovering over squares with chants of freedom in the air…and though, tyrants may step on our necks…we smile.

For history has always been on our side,

YOURS is an ummah that simply DOES NOT DIE…

I…

am sorry for my weakness.

For every time I’ve been ashamed of your name and asked someone to call me “Mo.”

For, not knowing enough about you to defend you when they drew cartoons…

or, accused you with the most heinous of accusations…

For, not getting over my distaste of reading and waiting for Hollywood to put you on the big screens so I could know something about you.

As if Steven Spielberg, or Mel Gibson, or Johnny Depp

Would somehow be able to recreate the twinkle in your eye

Or a beautiful bead of sweat as it scaffolds on your forehead frantically fighting gravity not wanting to fall off your body.

I keep thinking of seeing you.

And if you would smile at me…

the thought gives me goosebumps.

You told me to meet you at the pool.

So on that day, I hope and pray that I will see you through the crowd.

That no angels barricade me as I sprint at breakneck speed…

I hope you recognize it’s me

I will crowd the companions to get access to your vision

I will obey my thirst by quenching it from your hands

So until that day…

I will pray.

I will stand, and I will pray, as if my feet are holding the earth from splitting.

If I make it…I cry at the thought of seeing you.

For, I know the words that I used to read from books with all too thin pages will do no justice

To your voice

Your scent

Your touch

Your face

My messenger of Allah has always existed between the curves and dots of the Arabic alphabet

So Muhammad ibn Abdillah, in 3-D…

and whatever other dimensions the hereafter brings with it

will be an overboard of senses.

I will fall in love with your shadow.

And will tell Ali that his description did not do justice

Tell my mother A’isha of how we heard her story of how you passed away between her chin…and her chest

over, and over, and over again.

And, it made us cry every

single

time

For we never suffered any disaster that was greater than what we suffered

before our souls merged with flesh…

of entering an earth that was with out you

Does the sky even recognize us anymore?

And I will sit in the shade of your smile.

And will ask you your story directly from your mouth

as we sip on salsabeel ice cold…

And will be terribly embarrassed, if you asked me for mine…cause

I never did anything right.

Other than loving you.

And then, if you let me…

I would LOVE

for a hug.

—

TAKBIR!

AllahuAkbar!

Reflections of a very lost 23-year-old

I have been questioning a lot of things recently. Questions that never quite occurred to me, but I guess are within me because here they are. Timing, circumstance, and my mind has presented them forward. So what do I do? Some of these questions are really difficult, scary and cause burden and guilt for even thinking them. Well, I figured, I might as well start coming up with answers and expressing them before I lose my mind…worse yet, myself. There are so many questions, some answerable and some not…but I came up with some ideas that I will set forth, because although I may not have everything figured out and certainly not nearly all the answers, there are somethings I, from my experience  23 years of life as a human on earth, that I am ABSOLUTELY certain of, that I can take with me to move me forward in this thing called life. That may help me deal with all the complicated unanswerable questions… so without further a due, here it goes. Perhaps, it may help others ponder or reflect along the way…

1. Friends and family unleash and remind us of our very best traits. This is really obvious, I guess…but on a deeper level…think about it. When you are with the best company, the people who have known you and shared many of the same experiences with you, and care for you…LOVE you, allow this sort of energy to come out when you’re around them. Whether you are communicating verbally or not, there is a shared understanding there, a comfort, and good feelings. Often times, stories, parts of you that you wouldn’t channel or express otherwise are released, and you may physically or verbally do or say things that you don’t know where they came from. Having alone time is necessary, but being with these people is awesome because they share themselves, and you share yourself with them…and the mehfil, if you will, is so rich and colorful. May God always make us surrounded by good company, that is one of our existence’s greatest gifts. Being surrounded by good people, good feelings, good conversation. This is in our nature, and we cannot escape it. I hope we are among the best company in the hereafter, connecting us with those we experienced in this life, as well as those of the past who we never got to meet, but are connected to…and even more people who we may not know of but who will connect with us…just like we often meet in this life, by God.
2. Going off of this company idea, I have found it very interesting to reflect on the reality of how when you are in the company of another person, you view them, while only they are viewing you back. This is very interesting. We are sharing everything about our inner selves, and while we know who we are and what we are doing, we aren’t viewing our faces or bodies when we are interacting…rather we only experience the interaction through the other person, or animal we are interacting with.  So everything about us, then, is defined by how we act and treat others, and how they respond to it. WOAH. The other thing to realize is we do hear ourselves, thankfully, and we do control how we will execute our inner thoughts. But it is entirely viewed through the other person’s response…this is a beautiful thing when you think of how a leader talks to his people. It is also beautiful to think about how the interaction between two lovers alone is…they only see the other half of the relationship. Two best friends, a mother and child, a dog and his owner. Gosh, it’s a beautiful thing. I mean, they have no idea of how they look or what the other person is thinking, but they can fully appreciate the other person for all of their beauty. We see our best reflection from other’s faces…without even seeing ourselves, just living it, experiencing it. And how enjoyable is life, when you have a day full of being with others, soaking in their expressions and reactions to the moments being experienced, and all the while enjoying your role as the friend/leader/teacher/student/etc. Maybe God created our outer selves solely for the people and animals our souls were meant to interact with, so that they may recognize us, describe us, and admire our beauty. Yes, I think this is true. May Allah beautify our character as much as he blessed us with outer beauty, because let’s face it, everything is weighed on your CHARACTER…that’s what makes you who you ARE, and it will exude from you outwardly. But seriously, His creations are perfect. (Think of a black lab with light brown eyes and gorgeous eyelashes. Exactly.)
3. Merging with #2, since our physical forms contain our inner selves (trippppppy concept), it is really awesome to soak in how different each human looks. How many types of people there are out there, different complexions, hair, eyes, lips, voices. WOW! What’s really beautiful is our physical forms will resemble our family members, the ones we were born to with out any control. And it is another indication of who we are, who we belong to, how we can be defined in the greater scope of things. This reminds me of the verse from the Holy Qur’an, “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” Surah al-Hujurat (49:13)
4. Cioce, may God bless and guide her, was talking to me yesterday, and she mentioned something that stuck with me. There are many religions/belief systems out there, and we have to respect all of them because they share a moral code. At the end of the day, our creator is a loving God, and each person will be judged on their actions by their own premises. Not everyone was born Muslim, and maybe not destined to accept it, but they will be judged by the actions respective to them, by which lineage they belong to. Good people are good people. Being born Muslim, and to my other brothers and sisters out there, we (and I speak to myself before anyone else) have to accept that that is our identity in this world. We are responsible for adhering to what is expected of us as the ummah of RAS. We have a big responsibility to uphold to those standards, which UNDOUBTEDLY are the best teachings of this world. Remember that. Remember who you are, your identity, and hold on to it, learn about it, adhere to it. If you have nothing to live for, then why are you living?
5. You do not need to figure out how to be yourself. There is no science to it. Yes, we can shape ourselves, and constantly work to improve and get to know our potential. However, who we are, ya’nee, our souls, those are intrinsic. They existed before we physically existed, and it will exist after you. Cultivate yourself, invest in yourself, make yourself rich in righteousness. This is the chance to do it…and though we may not understand our purpose, be assured that Allah t’ala created you for some purpose and with His guidance will be merciful to you until your purpose is fulfilled. As Saad said, we have to go down to the fundamentals, our heart was beating before we even existed, and we need to accept ourselves and we need to understand we will keep beating until we fulfill our purpose.
6. As Asif bhai said, in response to “life is complicated…” ” ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!” Open your heart the way God wants you to in Surah Nur. Let there be light (from our hearts) upon light (divine light)!  Ameen. So yeah, life is tough, but we must accept the challenge. That is what all the greats of this earth have done, they showed us what life is about and how to succeed through it. And among the greatest of the people of earth, there are those stories that we know about, and those we do not. Be thankful of the stories we do know about; study them and implement them in your life.
7. Going off of #6… God put us on earth, for a lifetime (inshaAllah). What are the instructions? How do we deal? Quran and sunnah is my instruction. Rahmatulil Al’Amin is my teacher. Find your blueprint, and follow your teacher. The teacher is one who has attained inner peace and self-awareness.
8. The stars, the sun, the moon are signs for those who reflect. As is nature. Be in nature. The intricacy and consistency of nature is a sign. Gaze at the moon and stars. Do it.
9. The greatest honor in the entire universe, and all of its glory, would be to meet RAS and his honorable companions, our heroes. (May Allah make us worthy.) In addition, to experiencing the realm of the universe. (This concept is beyond our scope…)
10. Even though I’ve never been to Paradise, I know how the women from there will be. They will be like Fatima Zahra R.A. So we must learn about how she lived. I pray my grandmother and generations attain Paradise, ameen.
11. Our job is to be righteous in the eyes of Allah. To have integrity, discipline, serve others, and be good to our parents. That’s it. Find the pleasure in this. Pray for the imaan to find the pleasure in this.
12. “Wherever there is a living soul, there is an opportunity for kindness. Wherever there is an opportunity for kindness, there is an opportunity for you to earn the mercy of Allah. Wherever there is an opportunity to earn the mercy of Allah, there is an opportunity to enter paradise.”
13. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink whin You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me.” -Muslim
14. The smiles of the Ummah of RAS are so beautiful, imagine the beauty of RAS. 
15. We actually control nothing, accept our own actions.
16. Why live? Cause life is fun, full of twists and turns, and good things like people and food and fashion and culture and opportunity. Life is a preview of heaven, in some ways. There’s lots to view, enjoy and appreciate. But for the people who’s quality of life sucks…what about them? Those who are oppressed, sick, and not able to have opportunities? They are struggling. Why should they live? Because that is the only thing that defines them. This life is the only chance, in your own entity, for you to define yourself. You are the only means by which you can make your mark. We are accountable for everything we do…EVERYTHING. That is a fact. We can be forgiven for actions, yes, because we revolutionize and the repentance is also our action. So live the way you want to be defined. The other reason why we live is because just as we had no control to enter life, and experience the good and bad we did, we have no control to exit it. To Allah we belong, and to Him we return.
17. Your mother, your mother, your mother. If you want comfort, go back to the woman who birthed you. Look into her eyes. Hug her. Let go of your fears and the things that make no sense. Everything will get better with her touch. Talk to her. She has the answer to EVERYTHING. She has to, because she’s the only one who can…she is the one who gave you life in the first place so she has to. Follow her direction. Only she can help. And dads can help to. If you give up on your parents, you gave up on yourself. Everyone’s mother is the best mother in the world respective to themselves, and that’s because what a mother is to a child is unique in each case.
18. It is righteous to feel a bunch of emotions. That’s human nature. It is also righteous to be curious, because cognitively we are such. But we have to accept that we are not meant to know certain things, because of our lack of control of them. And we are supposed to be complacent with that. God wants us to be happy…or at least, grateful, which translates to happiness.
19. When in doubt, bhangra it out. Best way is with a sibling, in your room. 
20. There are so many lessons in The Lion King. 
21. Britney and Justin were a great example of true first love. 
22. Nature is perfect, and we should not interfere with it…Just reflect on Ian Malcom’s chaos theory in Jurassic Park. 
23. Life if just a product of time, it’s a journey. Forget age…life brings you to the people you’re meant to be around, the food you’re meant to eat, the feelings you’re meant to feel. Everything happens for a reason, whether you reflect on it or not. It’s just meant, and it is what it is. 
24. Miracles happen. And duaas can change your destiny.

I’ll end this with a duaa, that may Allah t’ala make our journeys good for us. Undoubtedly, they will be, because nothing He does is ever not right. He will never burden a soul with that he/she cannot bear, so bear it and come out as strong as you can. May God allow our journeys to be fulfilled with our purposes exceeding that which we could ever imagine, in ways that will enrich us beyond the horizon. May He make that which we cannot control easy for us, and allow for us to go through this journey with ease. May our inner tempest be quieted and softened by purity and remembrance of our creator, and may we find our teachers messages to guide us.

May Allah preserve and protect us and our loved ones, and make us from amongst the mindful, the thoughtful, the honest, the steadfast and the sincere.  Ameen.

Dan Bishop, thanks for these words.

Facebook keeps people connected. Though it’s through a cyber connection, and sometimes these are people you may never interact with, let alone speak to…you are still connected. Does it mean much? Not sure, that depends…

But even though I met Dan Bishop in high school, and we spoke only a few times…I happen to be his Facebook friend, and because of that I came across this status. I would like to share it, because it stuck with me:

“Love and sacrifice might as well go hand in hand. No matter who or what it is that’s getting that love: you’ll lose sleep, grow further from friends and make a whole lot of completely unreasonable decisions. But you’ll never question any of it, not if the love is strong and pure. It may even shorten your life, but you won’t care one bit. Love taps us in to the internal, external and most importantly, the eternal forces that brought us into being in the first place. So be open to love. Be patient in wait for it’s coming and don’t be fooled by lust, because true love will instill in you your passions inner light, and this light will forever burn, keeping your soul warm and satisfied, no matter the condition or position of it’s vessel. May you find it, my friends, and if you have it, don’t you dare let that little fucker escape you.”

Great words. What sticks most with me is the purity and sincerity that comes with love. The truth is, if there’s anything I know about human nature, our existence, nourishment, goodness, everlasting, infinite, forever, timelessness, purpose, driving force, if there’s anything I know that makes sense….it’s love. That’s what we’re made up of. It’s the answer. It’s simple. It existed before us, it creates us, and it is what will allow us to last forever.

So Dan Bishop, if you ever land on my blog and read this, a sincere, warm, thank you. If not, thanks anyway, my appreciation for it is already out there, floating around in the universe. I was meant to read your words and feel touched by them. And to anyone else who reads this, hope you get something out of it too.