
My son, Yusuf sent me a photo of himself reading my book and my heart raced with both, happiness and sorrow. Of course, he would delve into the pages of my memoir with an earnest heart to discover the girl that was once me, but how would he emerge from those chapters I wonder with eyes bowed. My reason for writing my memoir is to testify to God’s Mercy, Glory and Love through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, my best friend who held me in his arms throughout the darkest years of my entire life. In doing this, it meant that I would have to reveal myself and the secrets and sins of my parents while unleashing the miseries that have held me hostage for many years. “There You Are” is only the beginning of my Christian Testimony in that there’s much more to the story which I am currently writing in the sequel. The message I hope to convey to my children and to others who read my book is that Jesus Christ is Lord, he was with me throughout those horrible, atrocious years and it’s because of his Love for me that I am alive now to share with you such merciful truths.
Many people have to search for the Lord, seek him, but I’ve always known that he was near. I could feel His presence like a warm sweater that my grandmother would wrap around me on those cold mornings before school and I knew that I was looked after, kept. It didn’t mean that I wouldn’t have to walk through the storms of life, but it did mean that I wasn’t alone and that He would carry me through the deepest waters, the ferocious winds for that is what has kept me smiling, hoping and believing.
My son is a Muslim and I pray that one day he will hear the voice of Jesus and know the Truth. That is my heartfelt whisper of love.