Al Bayan
Asma & Sanaa, Atlanta, GA
Sanaa: We met 30 years ago, here in Atlanta. We both had newborns. We don’t have to do much to understand each other - it’s a natural, deep friendship.
We’ve been there through the hardest times, and the best times. We started a business together teaching children at home, and then we opened our school in 2013. Every year, the school gets bigger. The best partnership you can have is with your best friend.
Asma: We’ve developed and matured together. We read, educate and build ourselves at the same time. We have shared goals and morals. We care about building our community, and we’re constantly learning from each other. And most importantly, we’re always honest with each other. I love her firmness. She makes decisions and sticks with them.
When I see any two people who understand each other with a blink of an eye, it reminds me of her. Sometimes before I speak, I just look at her and she understands what I want to say without saying it. If I see any two people sharing that same thing, I think of her.
Renewal
Colleen & Sarah, Atlanta, GA
We first met as Fulbright scholars in Malaysia. I saw Colleen in our orientation for the program and she was sitting at the back of the room in the corner reading her books, really crushing her books, and not really paying attention at all in a really wholesome way. I remember thinking: what is she thinking about? What is she reading? What’s going on in that mind of hers?
Later in the program, Colleen organized our whole cohort against the oil companies who were funding part of the program and she walked straight up to the ambassador and told them it was messed up. She has a fierce commitment to building the world that we all want to live in. She writes and envisions stories of hope and community and when people are around her, they just want to be better. When I bring Colleen around my friends or any groups we’re in, everyone knows she will ask the deep, soul questions that they’ve all been yearning for. Everyone wants this soft tender spot within themselves to be seen and loved and touched and talked about, and Colleen makes it safe and goes there with people.
My favorite thing about Sarah is watching the way she moves through the world with so much care and not expecting anyone to even notice; it’s how she treats other people. She’s also so funny. There’s this sense of childlike innocence that I see in her every day. And it’s not that she doesn’t know the seriousness of the world - she just knows that life is so beautiful and is able to access that in so many ways including with humor and with care.
Colleen: On our first morning together, light was pouring in through the ceiling of the cabin we were staying in and it relates to this constant sense of renewal I feel in our relationship. We’ve been together for almost 7 years now but I feel this constant sense of allowing the other person to change. Whether that’s encouraging the other person to take risks in their career, or moving to a new place, I feel like we always have this sense of new beginnings pouring in through our relationship.
Sarah: Curiosity is the antidote to most things, right? Light is also about perspective. If I read a new book or see something on the street, the first thing I want to know is: what is Colleen's perspective on it? I constantly want to know what she thinks and be able to see her in new lights. I remember waking up next to you on our first morning together with the light pouring in and knowing our whole lives were going to change. This was it. It had this deep, God-given felt sense of: this is your love - nurture and protect it.
The Brew
Alvi & Baby, Atlanta, GA
I haven’t always wanted to be a mother.
For the longest time, I was moving really quickly through life. As the eldest child, I had a lot of responsibility put on me at a young age. I was getting to the top in my career, and doing everything that you’re told you need to do to be successful, but I felt like I didn’t have much to show for it. I didn’t feel fulfilled. I was still stressed and fearful and critical of things around me.
I learned that for potent tea, you want to steep it for at least 20 minutes. Doing that practice has helped me slow down. It’s a meditation and a ritual for me. The experimentation involved with brewing tea helps me get into my body. And using food as medicine, and understanding and connecting with the plants and nature around me helped me form a strong relational bond with my inner world. It opened up the space for me to consider and have the desire to have a child. The desire grew the deeper I got with the creativity born out of slowness.
I have had dreams about this baby for a long time. Growing a bond with myself has helped me grow a loving bond with them. Regardless of what’s going on in the world, I try to foster an environment of love and safety, and I want to instill that knowledge in my child. I want them to know they have an inner anchor they’ve built up for themself, and that they can cultivate their own peace.