July 31, 2016
I have loved Sabrina every day of her life. I remember how beautiful it felt to hold her in my arms for the first time, 28 years ago. She clasped my finger with her tiny little hands and from that moment on, she captured our hearts, love and imagination.
As a child, Sabrina would rush into our room in the morning, climb up the exercise bike and jump on our bed while shouting at the top of her lungs, “Good Morning World. It’s going to be a Fabulous Day!” Her enthusiasm was contagious and her energy was boundless. She taught us to play. We have wonderful memories of 10-year old Sabrina organizing Friday night arts and crafts activities in the basement where she would be the teacher encouraging us to draw and paint, have tea parties with little cups and saucers, and read out stories aloud. Her dreams were enormous and as we cuddled in bed together one day, I remember her telling me that she wanted to be a teacher on Monday, a doctor on Tuesday, an explorer on Wednesday, a scientist on Thursday, and a President on Friday. When I asked, “What about Saturdays and Sundays?” she promptly responded “A mommy!”
As a teenager, Sabrina lived in Shayne’s oversized, hand-me-down t-shirts and jerseys. Her joy came from playing baseball, hockey and basketball. I loved our “cuddle-cuddle” time and tucking her in every night. I loved how she shared details of how her day went. I remember asking her an endless stream of questions; listening to her talk about her dreams and hopes. Playfulness gave way to reflection, introspection and structure as she planned out her life.
As she became an adult, we could not keep track of all her wonderful accomplishments and we watched with wonder as she tackled one thing after another in her own quiet and humble way. In the past year alone, Sabrina has been recognized by Elle Magazine as Canada’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year. She wrote a speech for the Queen of Sweden at the UN. She was featured in Vanity Fair and The Guardian. And somehow, she found the time to turn down Harvard and graduate from Columbia with a Masters in Public Administration in Development Practice.
As a mom watching Sabrina grow up, I used to wonder who would possibly be special enough for her. Who would be the one. And for the longest time there wasn’t anyone she liked enough to date. We had a standing joke that she was a late bloomer and that one day she would find her Prince Charming when she least expected it. Then she met Afzal and told us that he was the one that made her soul dance. This is before they had even started dating when she was moving halfway around the world to work in Kenya. When we finally got to meet Afzal, we could see the attraction in the way they looked at each other, in the way they brought out the best in each other and in the way they just fit. We knew that the two of them were destined to be together
Today Sabrina married her Prince Charming, her soulmate, the love of her life, Afzal, in a beautiful ceremony where they pledged their love and promise to each other.
Sabrina – You are pretty much my most favourite person of all time, in the history of ever. As you and Afzal begin your journey together we wish for you an outrageously brilliant future together filled with wonderful adventures and new paths to travel. We wish for you your heart’s desire, every need met, every prayer answered and every dream come true. And we pray that God’s grace and mercy always be with you.
To get a glimpse into the wedding ceremony, we invite you to watch the same-day-edit video below:
