Farah held her only child, Nora, on her lap as the old wooden boat, captained by a young trafficker, tossed and bucked on the choppy waters of the Mediterranean. The salty seaspray stung their eyes and their clothes were wet, cold and heavy. Farah sang a sweet lullaby to keep her three-year-old Nora calm. Silently she prayed to her God that she and Nora would reach the Italian shore alive.
When the overloaded boat hit a reef near the Italian shore, it shattered and broke apart beneath her. She felt the sudden shock of cold water and lost her hold on Nora. Her heart pounded, her nose and ears filled with water and her limbs began to go numb. She frantically swam to the water's surface and gasped for air. Fighting for her life against the forces of the unforgiving sea, she kept her head above water. Drawing on every ounce of courage and strength humanly possible, she crawled onto a beach, collapsed and cried out for help and for Nora.
Today Farah walked that same beach and watched the waves break over the remains of the wooden boat that should have safely carried her and her child from the Turkish coast to the lands of freedom and safety. She had visions of finding Norah playing in the sand, skipping through the shallow waves or collecting small shells. She asked everyone she met on the beach if they had seen her daughter. When no claimed to have seen her, she knew in her heart that she was asking for a miracle.
As she continued her search along the beach, she saw in the midst of the wooden ruins, her daughter's precious teddy bear. As she bent down to pick it up, she cried out in pain, "I let go of her. I let go.
When the overloaded boat hit a reef near the Italian shore, it shattered and broke apart beneath her. She felt the sudden shock of cold water and lost her hold on Nora. Her heart pounded, her nose and ears filled with water and her limbs began to go numb. She frantically swam to the water's surface and gasped for air. Fighting for her life against the forces of the unforgiving sea, she kept her head above water. Drawing on every ounce of courage and strength humanly possible, she crawled onto a beach, collapsed and cried out for help and for Nora.
Today Farah walked that same beach and watched the waves break over the remains of the wooden boat that should have safely carried her and her child from the Turkish coast to the lands of freedom and safety. She had visions of finding Norah playing in the sand, skipping through the shallow waves or collecting small shells. She asked everyone she met on the beach if they had seen her daughter. When no claimed to have seen her, she knew in her heart that she was asking for a miracle.
As she continued her search along the beach, she saw in the midst of the wooden ruins, her daughter's precious teddy bear. As she bent down to pick it up, she cried out in pain, "I let go of her. I let go.
