By Man On The Fence

I feel that out of all the blog posts I’ve shared with you, this one should leave the biggest impact. I had the good fortune of meeting an incredible woman many years ago… twenty three to be exact. I was young, single, and I was shopping for towels and linens for my new apartment. When I walked into the linen store, it was awe at first glance. At the first sight of this woman, I felt something. I can’t explain exactly what it was. She was a foreigner, she was young and beautiful, I would later find out she was a working mom, and her spirit somehow touched me that first day.

For over twenty three years I visited her store, buying all sorts of things for my apartment, and then later throughout my marriage, for my house.  Every so often, we would get caught up in conversation. I learned of her awful divorce and her choice to pick up and leave Morocco for North America. I had a great sense of admiration and respect for this woman. She took the time to explain to me how she had six brothers and sisters, had come from a wealthy family, but because of infighting back at home, decided it was best to leave and start a new life, and new business in Canada. Over the years I watched her suffer through the chaos that ensued with her bi-polar son, as a single mom, with the strange fact that she barely even mentioned her other son. I also looked at her with the utmost respect, and complete disbelief surrounding her commitment to her family, to her children, to the running of a business etc…

(more…)