She came home from school with frantic delight about her new friend. She couldn’t stop talking about her, telling of all the things they did at school, where they sat, what they ate together at lunch. Sheer joy!

Miriam and Fahmo became instant friends at the sweet age of five years old. They shared a friendship so precious that even I was envious at times. Miriam looked forward to school knowing she would see her best friend daily. How painful the weekends became when she couldn’t see her.

Fahmo and Miriam exchanged phone numbers eventually. Fahmo’s mother did not speak English so I would talk with her sister who as well became dear to us all. Oh how I remember the first play date. Miriam waited in front of the window ever so impatiently for her friend to arrive. What was taking so long? Well, language barriers (my direction giving ability is rotten even without this) and the beauty of cultural views of time were lessons we were about to learn.

“She’s here!!”  They must have hugged for two minutes and a hundred times and they had just seen each other the day before. They played and played and played. Fahmo had even brought an extra hijab for Miriam to wear. They both had them on and said “look, we are twins”. Sweet love.

I soon began volunteering at an English for Somali women’s class and brought Miriam with. Who did she see?? Fahmo! Miriam couldn’t be happier. Not only did she get to see her best friend outside of school on these nights but the women in the class loved her. One woman in particular named Mariam took a special liking to her as their names were so close and their smiles just as big. One Thursday evening Mariam called Miriam over and gave her a gift. It was her very own hijab. Both of them were beaming as both the giver and receiver were filled with gratitude.

That hijab meant so much to Miriam and as well to me. Mariam had made a special trip to purchase this with the little money she had simply to gift my daughter with something that meant so much to her. Miriam wore that hijab with pride and no, it didn't change her love for Christ in the least. On the contrary in fact, as she wore that gift she shone with the light of love that God so desires for us to shine with all of the time. 

Memories were made in those few years that forever transformed our hearts and will never be forgotten. Fahmo moved away and Miriam hasn’t seen her in a long time but she still considers her her best friend.  

I can't help but think of this pure love at our present time of mass confusion and pain in our world.