A LETTER FOR MY PARENTS

Dear Mama and Baba,

This is because I don’t say thank you quite often.

Although there’s no rhyme or reason, I’ve never really expressed how I feel verbally. I’m going to start off by saying that I truly do love and appreciate every big and little thing you have done for me. I know I made and sometimes still make your life hard, but I also know you go out of your way to provide for me and the younger ones. You both have such different personality traits that I have adopted which make the beautiful and strong human I am today. 

Going away to university and being apart from you has made me realize how much you both mean to me. I’m not going to lie and tell you straight that the last two to three months I have majorly missed you. As much as I miss them, I love looking at the photos and videos you send me of family gatherings and Eid outings. 







At this point in my life, I’m considered an adult (maybe sometimes I don’t completely act like it). My successes over the last 25 years are solely attributed to the fact that you have always given me the courage and motivation to soar. As I’m growing up, I realize just how much you did for me. And, for that, here’s a list of things that I need to thank you for:

• Thank you for showering your endless love and support on me 
• Thank you for listening to me cry over skype.
• Thank you for teaching me to be independent.
• Thank you for all the times you told me it was going to be okay.
• Thank you for pushing me towards my goals.
• Thank you for grounding me when I didn’t finish my work.
• Thank you for making me realize that I’m worth everything in this world
• Thank you for making me laugh when I'm sad.
• Thank you for all the advice, even when I don't take it. You guys are always right.
• Thank you for the ghar ka khana, the birthday parties, chai sessions and everything in between.
• Thank you for not saying no to anything I ask for (even though I don’t know how you do it).
• Thank you for getting to know my friends – all of them – and make sure that I was choosing them wisely.
• Thank you for being so strict with your rules because of which I avoided some moments that could have led me down the wrong path and aced my studies.
• Thank you for working so, so, so hard and send me to university abroad. That means the absolute world to me, and for that, I will never be able to repay you (I will try though).

These words are not enough to describe how thankful I am to the both of you. Without the two of you, I don't know where I would be. Even though you are the ones who are truly blessed to get to raise me; I'm even more blessed to be able to say I have both my parents by me and my siblings side, ALWAYS. I promise I will continue to work hard to make you proud.

Love always, 
Your daughter forever and always. 

...XOXO...