Conversation with Yaser

Friends,

Yaser and I spoke today. He said things are slowly going back to normal. I asked him if the bombs that went off today were close to him and he said they were not. But, after questioning him further, I realised that "close" in Gaza terms means 500 meters. By anyone else's standards the bombs were, indeed, close. They were less than 10 kilometers away.

When Yaser asked me how I am doing, I asked him if I could be anything but great. I told him that I reflect upon everything he has been going through and that my life is calm and stable.

He answered, "Stability is good. But, change is brilliant." He then followed that comment up by saying, "Perhaps war was a bit extreme, though, don't you think?" We both laughed.

I asked him how his little ones are doing and he said they, too, like Gaza, are slowly coming back to normal. He said it's really strange to imagine that when aircraft flies overhead, his 4 year old  can name the model: F16, Apache, etc. 

And now, as I sit here looking out my window at the foggy London streets, Yaser's word--words that were spoken with pure joy--resonate in my head: "Change is good." It makes me think of all the times I've mistaken change for misfortune. I wonder now if words like crisis, recession, epidemic are actually negative expressions of something far more positive: change. 

Again, thank you all for submitting! Please keep the laughs coming. 

Love,

Graham

First phone call with Yaser after ceasefire

Friends,

I have just spoken with Yaser. Again, in Yaser-fashion, his first question was about me, "Are you okay, Graham? Your voice sounds different." Only after I convinced him of my well-being did he talk about himself.

He expressed extreme gratitude for the ceasefire and prays for long-lasting peace. He is still very touched by your on-going support and sends his love out to everyone. He had this to say, "I love everyone. I love all people. I love all nations. I love all cultures." He says he looks forward to a time when he can travel freely and express his love around the world. 

As I read your comments out to him, he seemed to hang onto every word, bursting out with laughter at your stories. He thanked each one of you as I told him who it was from. He beamed as I read each of your nationalities. Thank you all! 

While we were talking, Yaser was in a field surrounded by children. They were all around him--laughing and playing. I asked him if he was the football. He laughed and said, "No. Not this time. Today, I am the funny guy speaking English." He put his little 3 year old on the phone. The little guy wanted to "speak English". When I said hello, he mouthed sounds and giggled until his daddy took back the phone. 

Yaser also had this to say: "Congratulations on your new president. We in Gaza are looking forward to a good future with Barack Obama! He has lots of work to do over the next four years and we wish him all the luck in the world."

Speaking to him, I got the impression that the mood in Gaza is still very fragile. I would ask all of you to please keep sending comments when you can. I look forward to hearing from you all very soon.

Love,

Graham  

A blog dedicated to my dear friend in Gaza

Dear Friends,

When we are down, our friends can bring us up. When I think back on all the times things have gone wrong in my life, I realise how fortunate I am to have had faithful, loyal friends around to cheer me up. 

For example, when I was living in New York City and the World Trade Center came down, the first person to contact me was my friend Yaser...in Gaza! He wrote me an email asking me if I was ok. That email meant more to me than he will ever know. I mean, here was a person stuck in one of the most dangerous places on earth...and his first thought was my wellbeing.

Now it's my turn.

I have been thinking about what I can do to help for a long time. If I had lots of money, I'd give it to a Palestinian charity. If I had a magic wand, I'd wave it and stop the war. If I could get my friend and his family out of Gaza, I'd have them on the first plane out of there. But, until Bill Gates or Steve Jobs invents a magic wand, I realise I will have to help in another way.

Since the war on Gaza began, I have been unable to get in touch with my friend Yaser. He lives near Khan Younis, which is under constant attack. He wasn't responding to emails, but I knew it was highly unlikely he would have internet access. Fortunately, I was able to dig around through old emails and found his mobile number. 

I wrote him a text message asking if he was ok. To my delight, he answered back straight away:

"Thank you...keep praying for us. We are dying every moment, awaiting our destiny. You gave me a happy moment during these long nights. Thank you very much. Yaser."

I immediately picked up the phone and called him. We chatted long into the night.

At the end of the conversation, it was clear how I could help. I could try to put a smile on his face. In spite of the hell around him, he still has a sense of humour. In fact, confused about the time difference, I asked Yaser if it was 11:00 at night his time, to which he responded, "No G. It's 3:30 in the morning. F@£*k you very much!" We both roared with laughter.

So, dear friends, I'm putting this blog together to give everyone the opportunity to make Yaser smile. 

Every week I will read your comments to him over the phone. And I will, in turn, post his comments on this blog for everyone to see. I will also work on getting a twitter account set up so he can post texts directly from his mobile.

My hope is not only to put a human face on this conflict, but to provide all of us with a story that will hopefully inspire us all to keep our wits about us when times are tough. I also hope this blog will help motivate us to always keep a sense of humour, no matter what.

So, with that said, I dedicate this blog to you, Yaser. May these entries help put a smile on your face...on these long nights. And days.

Please feel free to post anything: funny stories, jokes, blessings, greetings...anything you would like to share with Yaser. I know you haven't met him, yet, but I'm confident you will love him when you do.

Phone call with Yaser

Friends, 

I just got off the phone with Yaser. I read him the first 20 comments. To hear him laugh out loud is the happiest moments I have ever experienced.  He tried to tell me he didn't deserve all of this. But, I told him he is the one who is helping us...helping us cope, helping us hope, helping us appreciate what we have. 

Yaser asked me to share this story with you:

When he talks to me, all of his little children follow him into every room of the house and pretend to speak English, too. They mostly make noises with their mouths, "Blah, Blah, Blah, Bladdy, Blah, Blah, Blah." He can't get a moment of peace because they are all too busy speaking "English".

He also wants you all to know how much your wishes and funny stories mean to him. He is really happy about making new friends and wants you all to see his picture. He is having a friend text me his latest photo. I will put it up as soon as it comes in.

I would also like to thank you all! Within one day of starting this blog, I have already received 20 messages. Please keep submitting. I can't wait to read him more next week. I don't know about you, but these stories are perking me up, too.

With love, peace and blessings,

Your friend Graham