Ibn Battuta is one of my mentors. He lived in the 14^th century and was born into a Berber family in Morocco. His father, along with most of the males of his extended family, were Islamic legal scholars. Ibn Battuta went on his hajj to Mecca, but traveling became his quest. During his life, he traveled to 44 different countries. More than half of his adult life was on the road, and he traveled 75,000 miles on the back of a camel.

This is one of Ibn Battuta’s sayings about his journeys. “Traveling, it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller.” I, too, have traveled throughout the world. I attended graduate school in the Holy City of Presbyterians, Edinburgh, Scotland. I emulated Ibn Battuta and traveled much of the world.

I went to Myanmar a decade ago. I wanted to interview Aung San Suu Kyi but failed. However, that failure changed my Weltanschauung. I met Ti Ti, who was nine years old. We played Scrabble, and she beat me.

I also met her younger sisters at a preschool that they attended. This is Snow in the pink top, and she was four. Ti Ti’s youngest sister, Fatty, was two.

Several years later, I returned to visit my family. By my second trip, Snow and Fatty had heard about Papa Al from Ti Ti. I had fun playing games with my two youngest granddaughters.

I don’t recall where we were going, but the family and I went for a walk. We couldn’t have been ten feet from their home when I noticed that Snow reached out and held my hand. She said nothing; she held my hand and kept walking. It was her expression of her love for her Papa Al. Talk about a meaningful event in which nothing was said.

While I was there with my family, Snow gave me the picture she drew of us walking together. Talk about priceless treasures.

When I left my family to return to the States, Ko Ko drove the family to the hotel where I was staying. He drove, Ti Ti was in the middle, and Moh Moh was on the passenger side. The adults were in the front seat, and I was in the middle with Fatty and Snow on either side of me. Off we went as a family.

Without saying a word, I reached over and held Snow’s hand. It replicated what Snow had done during our walk a week before. Nothing was said, but the message resonated between the two of us.

I miss my family. I wish I could have celebrated with Snow on her 15^th birthday. All that I can do is to say, “Hear ye! Hear ye! Let the world know it is Snow’s Birthday!” This is Snow’s birthday party, and she is celebrating it with her sister and her friends.

This photo is of our family on my third trip. We went on our family tour together.