7 minute read
ON THRIVING
A LETTER FROM AHMED ON THRIVING
By Ahmed Abedy, Director of Donor Retention, Miry’s List
Dear friends,
Like many of the families served by Miry's List, my family and I arrived in the US in late 2018. It was dramatic and life-changing.
I am a dad who served the US mission in Iraq for 17 years. My job exposed me and my family to real danger. I lived in fear of the daily likelihood that I wouldn't make it back home in the evening.
Back in Iraq, it was me, my beautiful wife and our 3 kids. In 2016, a lifechanging event happened: My kids lost their mom after a severe fight with cancer. This tragedy, and living through it, is just indescribable. At the time, we had no grandparents around and no local relatives, so I had to distribute my kids among friends' houses. The time was filled with cultural and social struggles, and finally I met a wonderful woman who elevated our family and brought hope back into our lives! She became my 2nd wife, and stepmother to my children. She is physically disabled from a gunshot to her leg she endured coming back home from school. She lives in chronic physical pain and I am here she is here for us. Together, we have built a new life for ourselves in America.
Being part of the Miry's List community has been a calming, hopeful relief to my family's past 17 years of difficulties and pain. Joining this community meant the world to team to do my part paying it forward us. And it isn't just the housewarming presents and essential supplies we received to help us start our lives over. Also, it's the love, emotional support, and kindness. This was far beyond our expectations. Miry's List lifted us from below and raised us to the highest point in the sky by showing us this support.
As soon as we were enrolled in Miry's List, life began changing. Little by little, we began thriving. Within the first month, I was offered a very prestigious job with the San Diego Association of Government as a Contracts and Procurement Analyst. A dream job for me, transitioning us to self-sufficiency and making good use of my Masters in Engineering to benefit our new community. Our kids started to pick up the language really quick and now they often enjoy laughing at their dad’s accent! Just a few months after our arrival, we welcomed our 4th child, the first American-born member of our family.
Can you imagine my feeling of gratitude to see my kids growing up in a community shaped by a model of kindness, generosity and human connection? Once, my eldest kids told me they want to be like Miry when they grow up!
Once we graduated from the program, I was invited to join the team to do my part paying it
forward and helping our new families. At that point, I thought Miry's List was just Miry and a few dedicated volunteers filling our world with their unlimited love. I soon learned how wrong I was.
I learned that Miry's List is made up of a huge network of wonderful people, yourself included, that Miry and the team built in the last 4 years. I learned that Miry's List helps families create a wishlist, then they assigned the lists to dedicated volunteers who help ensure that each family's needs are met.
Together we are creating an unprecedented connection between American people and their resettling neighbors. I want you to know that although you might not get a direct thank you from the families themselves, know that they are deeply grateful, as we all are. You are here behind the scenes, changing people’s lives with every gift purchased and dollar donated.
Each week, we share our Hive Around Five, featuring five new arrival families who need our help. Take a few moments of joy and send a gift to 1, 2, or all of the families featured right here below. Don’t forget to write a gift message, because the family will read it and know you are there. u
THANK YOU TO OUR COVID-19 EMERGENCY ACTION PARTNERS
Amar Dass, Director of Program Development
A MESSAGE TO OUR 2020 GRADUATES
Dear Class of 2020,
My name is Amar Dass, and I’m the Director of Program Development at Miry’s List. Congratulations on your graduation! It’s an honor to celebrate this major milestone in your lives. I am very proud of each of you. I hope you recognized your recent accomplishments and gave yourself a big celebratory hug. You’ll be entering a new chapter in your life, filled with new adventures, memories, and friendships. I am here to talk to you as a person who cares about your future in the future of this country. We are currently going through challenging times in this country. Some of us, including myself, are feeling confused, frustrated, sad, and angry. Learning to navigate this world is not taught in schools, but from experiences. We must learn to expect the unexpected, and find ways to celebrate it. Do not let difficult experiences stop your education or stop you from achieving your goals.
Ever since I was a little girl, I had big dreams. I wanted to make a difference in this world. I thought other kids went to school because they had big dreams like me. I was wrong. It was challenging for me to go to school and feel that I was the only one who was passionate about my education and the world. Other kids did not understand my passion. It was also challenging to go to school where no one looked like me. I was judged for being different and for looking different from the majority of the kids in my schools. For the longest time I felt lonely and invisible. Because of how I was treated, I became silent. By being silent, I gave my powers away to other people. I wasn’t living my life. I was pretending to live a life that wasn’t mine.
As I got older, I met people I clicked with. The more I surrounded myself with people that reflected who I want to be and how I want to feel, the more confident I became.
Being a 1st generation American added more challenges to my life. My parents did not come to this country with money and college degrees. It was up to me, being the oldest child, to help my family navigate an uneasy life. At a young age, I knew my life was already better then what my parents experienced when they were kids. I never understood why kids my schools didn’t care about their education. After all, I knew going to school to learn was something that many children around the world to not have the opportunity to experience, and it’s something that many of these children dream of experiencing.
I had to be my own role model and inspire myself. With focus and determination, I prevailed over all challenges. Every experience was a lesson. Some experiences showed me what I was capable of handling. Other experiences taught me how to be more selfish and to speak up for myself. I know some of you might not believe the things I just said.
Life is not easy for everyone. You probably compare your life to one of your classmates' lives and things that they are leading such happy and easy lives. Do not compare your life to anyone else. Trust me when I say that things will get better, as long as you keep walking forward.
Once again, I am proud of each of you for doing something so extraordinary, and doing it so well. You have accomplished so much already, and you’re going to do more amazing things in your life. Continue to inspire and challenge yourself, because one day, you’ll be inspiring many people.
Your greatest contribution to this world is simply just being yourself. When the world feels like an emotional roller coaster, just remember to focus on the good because the good gets better. Take care of yourself, enjoy your life, congratulations again. I am always by your side. u
BE A LEADER
JOIN THE WELCOMING CIRCLE
Your annual gift of $500 or more makes you a leader for Miry’s List. Resettling Families rely on the community support system made possible by organizations like Miry’s List to stay hopeful, connected, and surrounded by friends through the immense challenge of resettling in a new country.
Become a Miry’s List Welcoming Circle member today at give.miryslist.org
Questions? Contact Ahmed Abedy, Director of donor retention, at Ahmed@miryslist.org
