Letters to My Daughter

Today's first session of the community arts program for seniors and young women had the beginnings of most failed operations. Transportation--which was my greatest obstacle in outreach, and program design--presented itself as a dilemma today as I was at the grocery store picking up items for the first day of program. The girls called to tell me that they had missed their bus. I immediately called the Board of Education, Transportation department. I will have a conversation with them tomorrow morning. It was quite a fiasco. The students did not know what time the bus left--no one had asked me that. I should have found out what time, and where the bus would be so I could tell the girls. I was just busy trying to get in touch with the girls, to see if they had even received their passes! I will need a new approach. I will need to send each student permission slips acknowledging how they will get home. I do not understand why I hadn't thought of that before. The session was great.

Today I threw away a piece of paper I had been carrying in my wallet, for 2 weeks now. I had kept this business card for a long time. I had felt its letters, the thickness of the quality paper on which was printed a name, a phone number, a title. I had kept the card for a long time and today I threw it away. I felt relieved to throw away the card. Why keep something you don't need? My wallet is overflowing with receipts, papers, (sadly not cash), but still, the coins I carry make my wallet heavy. This card made me heavy. I felt good to let it go. Why hold onto something you don't need? If it was a job that brought you displeasure, that consumed your public life, then why endure? There are no children to feed, no bills to pay. It is only a useless enterprise for things you cannot take with you when you die. Sometimes it is good to be let go of.. Sometimes, however, it is much easier to hold on to scraps and pieces of something, even when you know it is not the same, not what you

"It is He who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love). WHen they are united, she bears a light burden and carries it about (unnoticed). When she grows heavy, they both pray to Allah their Lord saying: 'If Thou givest us a goodly child, we vow we shall ever be grateful" (Surah Araf, 189).