There are so few examples of love that I know of personally. Sure, I read about it in books and watched it on fairytales when I was little. Yet, I was fortunate to have a fairytale love in my own house.
The love story of my grandparents is even better, though, because it's real. They taught me that getting divorced is not an option - no matter how tough life is. They went through so many ups and downs - including the death of my mother, their daughter. They fought. They made mistakes. Still, they made it through it all with love and effort.
I'm honored to be a piece of them. I'm thankful that their love produced my family, and most specifically my mother.
I'm crying ALL the tears right now thinking of how much I love them.
So, in honor of their sixtieth wedding anniversary (say MashaAllah!) I wrote a poem that describes their love story.
I'm praying that Allah brings me a man that is half as good as my grandfather, and I also pray that He grants me a love for him equal to that of my grandmother. May Allah (swt) grant you the same happiness. This is nuseeb, people.
The Wait
We both went to a wedding looking for a free meal and dance,
but soon after noticing you, I found love at first glance.
You stood there like a statue as the band’s music boomed,
and I knew within an instant that my heart was surely doomed.
I offered you a dance, and within just seconds I fell,
knowing that with you and your left feet I would make many stories to tell.
So, I handed you a dime hoping you would call me soon,
and was disappointed when you disappeared at the ending of the tune.
Immediately there was a connection beyond this world we live,
And just to see you once again there was nothing I wouldn’t give.
So I waited and I waited, praying for your call,
Although I met many other girls you always had my all.
For as quickly as I met you, I still had much time to spend,
though when you met me you say you couldn't wait to tell your friends.
In my mind there could be no other girl to try and take your place,
and I knew if I kept waiting someday again I would see your face.
Yet after several months, I decided to move on,
assuming that you were taken and your love already gone.
But thankfully, God’s ultimate gift to me finally arrived,
when I heard the phone, then your voice, my heart had been revived.
And now, looking back on it, you have made the perfect bride,
Although often testing my patience, perseverance and my pride.
It was more than worth the wait for our family and your affection,
and even at eighty-two, in my eyes you are perfection.
This life with you has been the greatest blessing I ever could have foreseen,
And always in my eyes I remember you at age fourteen.
Reflecting on the small coin I gave you years ago with one in hand,
Reminds me that all this waiting was part of His ultimate plan.
Finally we are the point in life where waiting takes us Home,
and still I waste my moments as you use your makeup and your comb.
If you make it there first, then you will be the one to have to wait,
But the secret with our love is that there is never a time too late.