Twenty-Three Years!

March 12^th marks the twenty-third anniversary of my family and I coming to America.  Twenty Three years!!! I still can’t believe it’s been that long.  Some days it feels as if it was yesterday, while other days it feels as if it was all just a dream.  A very surreal and vivid dream…a dream that began as an intense nightmare but ultimately had the best happy ending anyone could wish for.  I reflect on this day and my current life often, as I would never want to take this opportunity for granted.  I have been presented with the greatest gift anyone could receive, the gift of second chance…the gift of opportunity.  I would be a fool if I wasted any of it. 

I went from…

The world of uncertainty and fear, a world where each day was lived as if it was my last because I never knew when Saddam Hussein’s men would find us and execute us.  A world where most nights I went to bed dressed in regular clothes with my shoes next to my bed in case we had to uproot in the middle of the night and travel on foot escaping the military.  A world where the government dictates every aspect of our lives even our education level and outcome and where the majority of women’s value was limited to domestic duties and having children. 

To…

The world of peace and opportunity.  Although I know tomorrow is not guaranteed, I find peace in knowing that I can live each day to its fullest with no fear and no worry, and no need to look over my shoulder anymore.  A world where I can enjoy sleeping in comfortable pajamas and know that I will not be rudely awakened every night by the war sirens.  A world where I can attend school chose my education level and degree, feel valued not just as an individual but as a female in the workplace where I can have a voice outside of the kitchen. 

To forget where I came from is not only a wasted opportunity but also a disappointment.

I am beyond grateful for my heavenly father for placing his favor upon me and his faithfulness seeing me through everything I endured and ultimately bringing me here.  I am grateful for my family for walking this journey with me, and I am especially grateful for my husband and daughters.  Just to think, if I hadn’t come here, I would not have had them…scary thought. I am grateful to three presidents who have contributed so much to my life…President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush.  Their impact on my life will never be forgotten.  And last but not least, I am grateful for the U.S. military, past, present, and future.  Your courage and dedication are admirable, not enough words in the dictionary could express my gratitude for you.  It was the military that came in and rescued us from Iraq, they are the ones that risked and continue to risk their lives to help and save others. 

I am grateful for my journey because it has shaped me in every way possible, and has lead me to you in which I am very grateful for!