<

One day in 2005, when I was in the twelfth grade, I was walking home from Zarghoona High School. It was around 12:30 in the afternoon, and the sun was blazing intensely.

On the way, I noticed an elderly man with a handcart used for carrying loads. The cart was empty, yet he was pulling it along with visible exhaustion.
He had made his shirt into something like a jumper, and his tunban looked more like trousers. Deep wrinkles marked his face, and beads of sweat covered his forehead. He did not seem to be at an age where one should be burdened with such heavy and exhausting labor.
I remember thinking to myself, “How strange life can be.” God knows how much that day my heart ached for that Kaka beyond words.
I wish I had asked him to wait for a few moments so that I could bring him a soft drink from the small shop by the roadside. I have always had a habit of opening my heart to dear elderly uncles and kind aunts. But that day, I only observed his condition. Lost in deep thought after seeing him, I quietly continued my way home.

God has granted these dear uncles and kind aunts remarkable strength, dignity, and patience. They are deeply inspiring in the way they endure life’s hardships with such quiet perseverance. God knows where that uncle might be now… May he be alive, safe, and well. Aamin!