Today I went to my aunt's house for dinner. It was my younger aunt. I ate dinner with them as we talked about my cousins at WIHI. After that I asked if we could watch the video my cousin made. It was an assignment for school, World Literature class to be exact. He had to write/tell a story including all the elements of the Hero's Journey. From ordinary life, to call to adventure, refusal of call to adventure, to crossing the threshold, he had to include every element.
Though he had the option of doing a fictional story, my cousin decided to do his own real journey from India to America. I sat there watching his video as he described his ordinary life. Where he had many friends, family and as I recall 'his two best sisters.' I couldn't help but imagine this wonderful and comfortable life it must have been before. He went on to talk about the call to adventure from his uncle (my dad) who lived in America. (My dad basically called his sisters to come move to America). It was the next thing that my cousin said that really broke my heart. "I told my parents I would not leave. I didn't want to leave all my family and good friends behind. I didn't want to leave behind everything I knew" I imagined my cousin, the good obeying son, refusing to leave, disobeying his parents. Not only was this unlike him but it made me realize how serious and severe this was. It was a decision and move that would change his life forever.
He talked about coming to America and making new friends. He said the hardest part was learning the accent. He had to struggle a lot but he got it. He talked about how he had to say goodbye to his sisters because they left for India to finish their schooling. He said he made new friends but he never was able to talk to his old friends again and lost contact. (he didn't literally say this but this is what happened. My cousin has this ability to not let things bother him too much).
Suddenly I was choking on tears trying to keep it in. This little boy at the age of 10 was able to cope with all this. He was so brave, both my cousins. Having to leave family members behind. Making new friends learning a new accent. And do you know what he said at the end of all this? "My reward was my name. I became a new person and I was something (meaning I meant something to this world). I had done something challenging" When I heard this I just couldn't help it. My eyes began to tear up. I thought of how pathetic I was. How the little things that I complained about were really nothing. "I am a spoiled, ungrateful child" was all I could think. But I want to change that. I want to learn to be independent and to work hard.
After that, we left as my aunt reminded me that my OTHER cousin was missing his dad. His dad has to work out in Texas and he just started the job, leaving his son and wife in America for their second year. That just broke my heart even more. Both of them were dealing with something that I just couldn't relate too. I wished I could so that I could make them feel better and just truly understand but I couldn't.
But I realize now that crying about it won't help. I have to do something and the best thing is dua. I pray to Allah everyday that He keeps my brother and my cousins on the straight path. I pray that Allah (swt) keeps them in the best of company and that he protects them from the punishment of the grave. Amin. They've taught me a lesson, those two.That this life is not easy by any means but it's the way you look at it, your perspective that really determines your happiness in this life. And if your goal is Allah swt, and your perspective is looked through the Islamic perspective , then you can never go wrong. With Allah on our side, we can never lose.
