February 8, 2012, Nashville, Tennessee~

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Saviour!

It is I, Fahid Al Mahood, writing.  I hope this finds you well!  As for me, I couldn't be any happier if I even tried.  I am doing very well; I pray this continues!

Since I last wrote (April 0f 2010!!), I have graduated college; I am now working for a local magazine, writing articles about community living and happenings.  It is most interesting work and I enjoy the power of the written word so much!  It allows me to stretch and flex my creative muscles that I never thought was even possible.

I also have my darling son, Amir, Jr. to think about.  He is now nine and is in third grade; he has proven to be exeptionally smart and has been placed in TAG (Talented and Gifted) classes.  He makes all A's; I couldn't be prouder of him!

Amir continues to play like any normal little boy and is a staunch defender of rights for people who have been abused or intentionally harmed (like I was).  If anybody stares at my scarred face or makes any unkind comments, Amir, Jr. will flare in anger and will quickly warn people that it is not polite to stare or say bad things about me.  He always leaves me with a lighter heart; he is my warrior and my protector, even though he is a mere child.  Amir, Jr. is absolutely amazing!

I also have another child.  I have adopted a little sister for Amir; her name is Hadassah Ruth, and she is six.  I adopted her from Kenya, in Africa, and she is so beautiful!  She is as quiet as Amir, Jr., is loud; they compliment each other perfectly!

I am still fighting to keep my ex-husband, Amir, Sr., behind prison bars.  He is due to go on parole later this year, but I am determined to keep him locked up.  He is still as dangerous as ever; Amir, Sr., continues to try to threaten me with letters or calls, but I have since had my phone number kept anonymous and under the watchful eye of police, so he cannot try any funny business.  I also have had my computer put under strict privacy laws and nobody but yours truly can get on it without permission.  My computer is also being monitored by the police.

I am proud to show my face.  Although I am still very scarred (and will probably remain so until Christ comes back), I have learned to embrace my inner beauty and see myself as a creature of worth.  I see myself as God sees me and that makes me feel very blessed indeed.  I have come a long way ever since my husband first did this to me and compared to where I had been, I think I am looking very much like a normal person.

I am working on my book; I am writing about honor killing and how I have survived.  I am writing it to give hope to other women who might be going through (or have already gone through) something of this magnitude.  When I am through with my manuscript, I plan on sending it to a Christian based publisher and pray that my story gets picked up and that I will have a book with my name embossed on the cover.

It would be a huge dream come true for me.

Well, I must get back to writing.  I am at work as I write this and if my boss sees that I am goofing around, she might fire me.  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Fahid Al Mahood saying so long; may God bless you as much as He's been blessing me these last several years!  I am indeed a most fortunate woman! :)

~Love, your friend in Christ, Fahid.  :)