When I write, I know I can always edit. And then re-edit some more. I can keep pieces aside, then get back to them later when I have a clear mind. I can reread my texts as many times as I need before I send them out. It somehow feels like I always have another […]

I hear this sentence frequently on “Anne with an E” and I’ve recently realized it’s quite triggering for me. It’s not exactly that I’ve heard it that much growing up, I just subtly experienced it on some occasions that it happens to get to me now every time I hear it around. The way we […]

Amal Kassir is one of my very favorite poets and speakers of all time. Her tongue just happens to so naturally bring more poetry to life through every word she utters, and those 30 seconds from yesterday’s House of Amal Writing Hour resonated with me on so many levels. They inspired me to write this.   Thinking […]

Matthew: You and Anne, you’d be better off if I were gone.Marilla: What? I won’t have you talking like this.Matthew: My life insurance. It would hold you both in good stead.It’s what I wish for.Marilla: Why would you wish that? We need you here.Matthew: No.Marilla: Anne loves you. You have to remember that.Matthew: But… her […]

And I often wonder, if we’re somehow told about the things that are meant to change our lives forever, before they happen, would they end up hurting any less? Would any of them perhaps make a little more sense? Would the farewells maybe feel less intense? I know deep down inside, they each come along […]

Today I watched a little girl burst into tears as she accidentally hit her leg against a wall, and it just hit me that this reaction comes so naturally to kids when they’re hurt, while we continue swallowing in the pain for the rest of our lives.

Sometimes I stutter in-between my sentences. I’d know exactly what I want to say, yet the words would still get stuck somewhere on their way out, and all I’d hear is my own voice uncontrollably repeating the same letter or phrase. Oftentimes I’m able to remind myself to stay silent until the words find their […]

I love it when I’m in the middle of telling someone about something I’ve come across that I feel so strong about, and their first response is “!ده انتي أوي” or “this is so you!” Even better, when someone randomly sends me a piece they’ve read or a meme they’ve come across, and explains how […]

I no longer know how to try helping people without sounding cliché. I try to explain how every thing happens for a reason, and how there’s a purpose for every uncomfortable experience they go through. I try to explain that with every difficulty comes ease, and that God never burdens a soul beyond which it […]

Names aren’t just for people. Or objects. Or feelings. Names are important for experiences. They don’t necessarily resolve things, yet they can help point at them and acknowledge something’s going on. This is losing a friend. This is a loved one pushing me away. This is loss, and this is pain. This is a new […]