Habibti Dania,
Today, you turn two years old. Your second birthday in a world filled with struggles. I never wanted that for you.
I am heartbroken that you as a child endured. No other child should bear that. I am so sorry that you lived nights under bombing, days of hunger, and tried the harshness of life in a tent. I wished I could have shielded you from all that.
I dreamt of preparing a joyful birthday party. I’m sorry that nothing is complete though we try our best to pretend it is so. I am deeply sorry that you don’t have a birthday picture with your mom and dad. The occupation deprived us of such a memory. They killed your father, my dear Roshdi, a short time before your first birthday.
Forgive me for not being able to be what I should be. I tried to be a mother and a father, a sister and a brother. Accept my countless apologies. My words remain insufficient.
Yet, amidst all this, I am deeply grateful for you are the single flower that has blossomed in my barren land, and the single light that gives me strength.
I love you more than words can say,
Your Mom,
Shrouq Aila
November 6, 2024
