{"id":7455,"date":"2015-09-21T15:36:24","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T13:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marwarakha.com\/?p=7455"},"modified":"2015-09-21T15:36:24","modified_gmt":"2015-09-21T13:36:24","slug":"a-journey-towards-an-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marwarakha.com\/?p=7455","title":{"rendered":"A Journey towards an Identity!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\"11894474_1008110982584225_313121744104604271_o\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPublished in Identity Magazine – September 2015<\/em><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHappy Anniversary to Identity:) <\/em><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\tA Journey towards an Identity!<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMarwa Rakha<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was January 2008 when I first started writing for Identity and it has been a long journey since then! One article is very close to my heart and I would like to share a part of it with you again in 2015! I was 34 when I wrote this article; today I am almost 41 and I am a mother of precious little Adam! Motherhood today defines me – motherhood has always defined me one way or the other! Motherhood has helped me understand people and relationships in a way that would not have been possible otherwise!<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tI have seen how and when a personality is formed by the age of three and how character is built by the age of six! It is so easy to bring children into this world but it is so hard to nurture them into becoming the best human beings they could! Neglect and abuse are so common in this culture that it is almost the norm! Now I know where my personal issues come from and I understand why the men that I have come across were so deformed and defeated each in his own way! I am glad that this phase of my life is behind me now!<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIdentity<\/em> has been a witness to my personal journey towards an identity! Identity<\/em> was there when I launched my book, when I became a relationships columnist, when I got pregnant, when Egypt revolted, and when Adam was born! Together we fumbled into politics, parliamentary elections, presidential elections, turbulent times, confusion, toppling another president, and the appointment of the third president in less than five years.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\t“Last July, a friend of mine sent me a link to a website named Ethical Wills and I was fascinated by the idea.  Dr. Barry K. Baines – the author of the book – defines an ethical will as the voice of your heart. It is as though you are writing a love letter to your family, friends, colleagues, and everyone you crossed paths with in your lifetime. Dr. Baines said that most ethical wills pass on a person’s important personal values and beliefs, spiritual reflections, hopes for the future generations, life’s lessons, love, and forgiveness.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tI always thought that the ideal time for writing a will is when a person feels that the end is near – I have no clue where I got that idea from. Dr. Baines gave me a totally new perspective. In an ethical will, people share a part of themselves and this part helps them identify and act upon their beliefs. It also helps the reader of this will to understand where they are coming from and what they value most. This could be an ideal tool between couples at anytime of their relationship, between parents and their children regardless of their age, between grand parents and their grand children, or between friends and business associates.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThere is no better time to share with you my ethical will than at the end of a fruitful and very productive year:<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n