Crawling in her crib, she was the main topic of discussion. Would she look the other way and pray to God; tell her father that she loved him? Living up to expectations would be hard when compared to all her cousins: Doctors, Lawyers, and Engineers. They had studied for years with wisdom beyond their years to elevate the family name— could she do the same?

As her father built an empire he neglected his role at home. Playing father only on the days she didn’t need him the most. With eye for opportunity he left her lonesome to find her own road in place of the one her family had chosen. As a student of life, she had no tutor, only her mother who had always seemed so strong, but had recently given into the community’s rumor: That her husband had left her for a woman 20 years her junior just as their Straight “A" Princess was preparing to apply for college. Why couldn’t he have done it sooner? The feelings of being abandoned were more than this princess could manage and although her eyes pointed towards the pages of her books, her thoughts were hopeless. Her father not only broke her heart, he was a crook. Soon she dived into the drug scene where her pain was relatable, connections unbreakable, highs unmistakable. Relinquished of her titles, “Good Student", “Lovable", “Religious", and “Faithful", she decided to walk away from God and turn her back on the beliefs that held her together. Forgetting that the soul needs shelter from Life’s unpredictable weather. The water that was her emotions soon began to rise like high-tide on a full moon, drowning her on the inside. While life is 20/20 in retrospect, the future is unknown and she was unwilling to rest. Not ready to place her trust back in God, but what she failed to realize was her destiny is greater an this test was to make her strong. He was watching all along, hoping that her free will would guide her back to the path she had initially started on. As easy as it was for her to stray, God is Oft-Returning to those who choose to pray. For God’s Sake, He says to plant the seed even if it’s the last day! To save one is equivalent to saving all of humanity so she decided to save her self from this drug induced fantasy. She began her trek back towards destiny with a few sincere words:

“Alhumduillah, I am thankful for what your have taught me."