A letter to my beloved father

My father died last Wednesday (11-4-2007) and suddenly I feel lonely and insecure. Although I am married and I have my lovely 6 months old baby Mariam, I still feel so lost like a 7 years old child who lost his father. Imagine yourself trying to walk without your backbone; this is exactly how I feel.

My father was a great man. He was a true gentleman, so kind hearted, firm but gentle. He was so honest, hard-worker and with a very high conscious. He graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1960. He studied political science and mass-communication. He started his career as a journalist in the Associated Press for 15 years, then at Reuters for 17 years, then the Middle East News Agency. He then started teaching Journalism at the American university in Cairo. He has been teaching at AUC for the last 11 years. The day he died I saw how much he was loved, respected and appreciated by his students. They attended his funeral and they were deeply sorry for loosing him. When I saw them cry and heard how they speak of him, I cried harder for our loss. But it made me also happy and proud of my father. They dedicated a whole page on him in the newspaper he used to supervise issuing at AUC. The articles they wrote on him touched my heart. It made me cry so hard to read the students talk about him as their father, friend and mentor and not as any other professor. This is a live example that when we die nothing remains except our good reputation and our good deeds in life.

I still see him walking around at home, I still hear him talking to me and I still remember his advice to me. I wish I had enough time to tell him how much I love and respect him. If I am anything good and successful today, I owe it to him and my mother.

My dear dad,
I hope you can feel now how much I miss you, love you, and respect you and how much I am proud of the fact that I am your daughter. May God rest your soul in peace, may HE forgive all your minors and reward all your good deeds.
I will always do whatever I believe that you would have been proud of if you were alive. I will remember every advice you gave me and will abide by it. I will try to raise my child the same way you raised me and my sister, so that I can be proud of her one day the same way I hope you were proud of us.

You will live in my heart forever,
Love,
Doha