Father’s letter to his Daughter on her birthday
My words to my Daughter Insha on her birthday
My dear beautiful, creative, spirited daughter,
Eleven years ago on this day in 2011, you changed our life forever. Now, how wonderful that you are to an age where you can start to understand life on a deeper level! Along with the joy of getting to meet you, your birth brought me an intense understanding of how awesome it is to be a father.
Imagine your mother and I, two separate individuals, now looking at this miraculous, perfect physical fusion of us. But you weren’t us. You had my eyes and his hair, but you were you. You brought with you your own heart, your own free will, and your own destiny.
At this moment of joy, on the eve of your stepping to 12th years, let me share some words:
Pray to Allah. A lot; all the time. There’s a mysterious wisdom to prayer. Its not about getting what you want. Its about keeping yourself connected to the divine sources of Almighty Allah.
Try to look from different angles and see all sides of a situation. Also, don’t put yourself into shoes that don’t belong to you or that don’t fit you, just because they look good on someone else and you want to know what they feel like. Be who you know you are. I would say, Be yourself.
Over the next ten years or so you’ll probably spend a lot of time trying to figure that out In Sha Allah. Some you’ll choose, and some you’ll discover through trial and error, but over the time you’ll find the things that are for sure you and the things that are for sure not you.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, but don’t be too easy on yourself, either. Striving for excellence, yes, absolutely. But don’t confuse excellence with perfection. Everyone can reach their own level of excellence with discipline and love and reasonably high expectations. Set a good standard for yourself.
Remember: life is a journey towards infinity. You must learn how to ride, how to walk and live:
As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is but how good it is, is what matters.
You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. (Martin Luther King Jr)
‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone’. Yubing Zhang
Also try to remember few advices from Khalil Gibran:
If you choose silence, then be silent; when you speak, do so until you are finished.
If you accept, then express it bluntly, do not mask it.
If you refuse then be clear about it for an ambiguous refusal is but a weak acceptance.
You are a whole that exists to live a life, not half a life.
Naturally, I have many more words of wisdom to share with you, but most of them will wait. These few are good for now. You’ll come up with your own thoughts of wisdom as you make mistakes and grow from them.
I’m so proud of who you are. I’m sure well have our rough spots in the coming years, but know that my love for you will never wane or fade. One day, we will be no more. You will have to walk alone, run alone, think alone & live alone. Today’s learning will teach you how to live alone, happily.
Love from your loving father, with my endless prayer to Almighty
Md Nazim Uddin
Chattogram
August 23, 2022