Please note the stories below are some of the wonderful stories selected at a family launch party for the Gratitude Circle app.
–Story 1–
Life by definition is full of nuances and ups and downs.. There are good times and bad times, happy times and sad times. There are moments that stay with you forever and there are those you can hardly remember. The one moment in my life that I feel most grateful for is when I heard that someone from my own family was embarking on a mission to help mankind express gratitude, with tools that cross boundaries and technologies that have made the world smaller and better.
Thank you Najma Khorrami for being that person and for being in our lives. Thank you for creating this great app.
“Go Gratitude Circle”..
–Jamal Masumi
Source/Credit for Photo Above: SugarLibre
–Story 2–
There are so many things in life I am grateful for but all of these blessings stem from my gratitude towards God. I am thankful for the struggles he has put in front of me, whether personal or professional, because I know they are what have made me a stronger person.
I am thankful for the life experiences, both good and bad, because they have helped me grow as a person.
I am thankful for the time I get to spend with loved ones because these social bonds have made me a better person.
Simply put, without God or this belief in a higher power, neither anyone, anything nor I would be here. He has the power to create, to teach, to give and to take. Through Him I have found direction in my most difficult times, light during my saddest times and a stronger feeling of appreciation during my best of times. He has blessed me with wonderful parents, my family, my job, my health and most importantly, the gift of life.
Thank you Najo for reminding us of the importance of gratitude and to count our blessings. You have inspired us all! Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
–Homyra Masumi
Source/Credit for Photo Above: Travelling Buzz
–Story 3–
I am grateful that I did not die in childbirth. For 140 million women worldwide that have children each year they might not be as fortunate. Hemorrhage or severe blood loss at delivery is the biggest cause of death worldwide, with one woman dying every 10 minutes from this cause at delivery even today with all of our technology and knowledge. As a high risk obstetrician every week of my first pregnancy was spent thinking about reaching key milestones for fetal development and knowing too much about the potential complications was terrifying along the way. I am grateful things went well then and with my second pregnancy.
Thankfully, I grew up in a country that had access to health care resources and was privileged enough to have the financial means to utilize these resources. In an alternate reality, this would have been dramatically different. I distinctly recall driving to work in college hearing a young Afghan girl on the radio say in Farsi, “I want to grow up to be a doctor one day.” A flood of thoughts came over me then, thinking about my parents who had to flee Afghanistan due to turmoil, thinking about what if we had not come to the US when I was four years old how differently things would have ended up, thinking about how my challenges in life to get where I was paled in comparison to the challenges that girl would grow up with in Afghanistan. I wished with all my heart she could have the same opportunities I had been fortunate to have been blessed with. Her parents probably had the same hopes and aspirations for their daughter as mine do for me.
At the core, the gratitude I have for my family and their support as I made it through medical school, residency and fellowship is immeasurable. If you picture “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” family dynamics, that is not that far off from how an extended Afghan family functions. These gatherings or “memonies” helped me, unknowingly at the time, emulate attributes of loyalty, trust, compassion, humor and most importantly respect. I am grateful to have these childhood memories. Personally, I look forward to raising my children so they can recognize and adopt similar traits. I also appreciate how people in my extended but also immediate family believe in and support me. Professionally, I am thankful to my mentors who center me on my path to achieving my goals. I am striving to help improve the lives of women worldwide so that less are dying of complications like hemorrhage. Ultimately, I hope and pray that I can be a good person and help those who cannot help themselves.
–Homa Khorrami Ahmadzia
Source/Credit for Photo Above: Goba-Hills
Want to see your story or essay online? Submit to info@gratcircle.com and have your story reviewed!!