RawanLet’s talk about birthdays for a moment. Mine is in 🎉10 days🎉. Lord willing, I will be 31-years-old. Yepp. Will I dread marking the time that ages me? Or might I feel blessed to reach another year? Which attitude do you feel towards your birthday?
I must admit, I definitely have not accomplished nearly what I thought I would at the beginning of my 30’s.
1. No, I’m not yet married.
2. No, I’m not a mother to at least 2 kids.
3. No, I’m not even yet an architect.
I can go on and on about all of the things that I’m not.
I can also praise God for the things that I am.
1. I am alive and a child of God
2. I am expanding my story and goals across the lands.
3. I am a co-founder of a non-profit organization. (Which you will get to know more about in the coming months!)
Many things are changing for me this year. Most of which are incredible new adventures. They are not what I have ever expected for myself – they’re even better in some ways.
1. I get to marry a man who shows me what Christ-like love and trust looks like
2. I get to join a progressive architectural conversation in a way I never could have, had life not been hard on me.
3. I get to graduate with my master’s degree and push my work in both art and architecture to the next level.
I get to do these things with pride and ambition. But, I also have to do these things without my father and with a chipped heart. We talked and dreamed of some of these accomplishments. He brought me back to life every time I felt broken. He saw one tiny ounce of potential and encouraged me to explode it out of myself. To share it with all the parts of the world. So, that I must do.
Entering my 30th was my year of survival. Survival through many grievances, through filing a lawsuit, through fighting for my rights, through enduring moments that made me bed-ridden with fear, pain, and anxiety.
As July 29th approaches, I pray that 31 will be the year of adventure. Adventures that bring me child-like bliss and adventures that bring me major responsibilities. I accept the challenge and I look forward to the stories I’ll get to tell the following year.
With Love and Gratitude,
Rawan 🖤