"If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane...(for Palestine)

Mike Hanini Odetalla's beloved mother & her namesake, his daughter Fatima

"If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane,
I'd walk right up to heaven and bring you home again" ~ Allah Yirhamik ya Oumi

"Of all the aromas etched into my memory bank, there is absolutely nothing as comforting as that of my mother's freshly baked bread...The aroma of fresh baked bread transports me back in time to a much simpler, innocent place, that fills me with a warmth and comfort that is indescribable... Whether is was my mother, my mother in-law, or my aunt Jamila (May Allah have mercy on their souls), they baked bread that leaves me at a loss for the proper words to describe it...I will just say that if one wanted to actually smell or taste love, they would have to look no further than the bread their blessed hands baked..."  Mike Hanini Odetalla

Mike & his mother

"On July 5th, 2012, I flew back home to Palestine to be with my ailing mother...I spent the best 20 days of my life taking care of her and enjoying her presence...Just before I left her on July 22, as I was saying goodbye to her with a hug and as I kissed her hand, she grabbed me close and said "Promise me that you will come back and help your brother bury me"...I was taken aback by this and told her "After a long life", but that statement had me crying the entire trip back to the USA and haunted me...On July 30th, my brother called and said her health had taken a turn for the worse...I flew back that same day and arrived at her hospital bedside directly from the airport at 6:30 pm on July 31st...At exactly 7:24 pm July 31st, 2012, less than an hour after I arrived, my mom passed away while my brother and I were at her side...I wish I had never left to begin with...Allah Yirhamik Ya Oumi!"

http://www.hanini.org/

Come! I'll tell you about Palestine

First Love
The Olive Harvest
Desecrating the Memory of Babe Ruth
Olive trees, Oum Kalthoum, and Jasmine Blossoms
A House, A Home
Olive Oil
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
Nakba & Memories
Being Palestinian
Of Caves & Moonlight
Eid Al-Fitr
Of Apricots & Palestine
Life is Beautiful
Of Zatar, Olive Oil, & Mint Tea
"Balady" (Homegrown)
Thanksgiving
Thinking of Spring in Palestine