Dear Zain & Jude Nasr,
Wow how you have grown so much. I am
taking this moment as you sleep, to write a
letter to you both. A letter, or what I consider
a snapshot of time, to reflect on life as I see it
today.
I love being a father. I never actually thought
I would be as it was too difficult for me
to imagine being responsible for another
person’s life and journey. Here I am today
though, father to two beautiful and very
active kids, and I’m enjoying every moment
of it.
When you look back at this letter, you should
know that we are living in very strange times.
Lives have been changed, our daily rituals
and activities have been turned upside down,
but as I sit here today, a pandemic that
changed all our lives has allowed me to focus
more on what’s important, my family.
I’ve always questioned what makes a good
father. Is it giving you everything you asked
for, disciplining you when you act up, or is it
being your best friend? I’m still learning every
day, and don’t think I’ll ever know the answer.
One thing is for sure – it’s important to let you
both be who you want to be, and develop
your own paths in life.
My parents, your grandparents, brought
me here when I was a 1 year old to provide
my brothers and I with a better life, and a
better opportunity to thrive and create. I was
able to see the struggles they went through
to succeed to provide me that opportunity
to be successful in life, and although I was
awarded the opportunity to not have to
struggle, thanks to my parents, I want to
always ensure and instill in you both the idea
of being humble in life.
Life is interesting as one day everything can
be going exactly as expected and the next
day everything can change. We learned this
in 2020 and we have all been humbled. We
started the year of 2020 on a high note with
all the love, fun and excitement you can
expect in starting a new year, but shortly
after we were hit with a pandemic that
spared no part of the world. Every country,
every corner of the earth shut down, and
every human stayed indoors closer and closer
to their families. I’d like to think that with
every difficult situation there is a silver lining,
the fact that I got to know you guys more,
and spend more time with you was just that.
Schools are shut down so that allowed me to
not only teach you about life and its journeys,
but sit next to you as your teachers taught
via computers. It was amazing to see your
eyes light up as you learned about all the
amazing things the world has to offer.
Regardless of the difficulties we faced this
year, remember that your mother and I
love you dearly. You withstood this difficulty
with Grace and adapted in a way that we
never could if we were your age. It shows
character, strength and the ability to be
better and better every day and with that I’m
humbled. With love,
September 2020.
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Khaled Nasr
Shot By: Susa Huang: @ohheyitzsusa
