When Aly found Marie

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Not so long ago, particularly in one of my summer trips to Lebanon, I meet a woman called Marie, she endlessly wept as she was telling me . It was then when she hit me with the worst, as she was heartbroken over the fact that her son would be 62 the next day. I didn't get it, and upon me asking why is this making her so sad, she frantically said "he's been missing since 37 years now".


News got on social media through the below post, and it took some time before it got some interaction and, only in March 2016 had the story's exposure started to pick up. Many people shared the story, some of them recognized Marie (or somebody who looked similar, or had a similar story), but then there was only this guy, Aly, who was literally head-first in the story, he left me wondering what's in it for him as he was privately messaging me over the course of the next two months on the updates of his search.

Some time passed and I had not realized at all, that Aly had never forgotten about Marie, until just yesterday where he pops up saying "We Found Her". My heart was on cloud 9 that same moment, I just couldn't believe it. It felt as if I had been waiting for that update since forever now.



However charming and magnificent this update might sound, we're still on the shore nevertheless. First of all the only sort of help that could bring Marie back to life is putting all efforts into investigating in her son's fate. A closure for a grieving person like Marie can mean the whole world, can even be more important than her own life. I still remember her telling me of how unimportant food was, if it weren't for a few good church servants who'd offer her a meal or two weekly. Second sort of help can be, of course, by providing her with a sturdy and coherent source of shelter and income, so that she wouldn't have to beg taxi drivers to drive her somewhere for free.

And last but not least, if there was anything that shook our hearts with Marie's story is the fact that there still are thousands and thousands similar brokenhearted mothers and wives out there in this damned country, forever grieving their loved ones waking up each day wishing for a closure. And I had not seen one politician do anything in that measure. It's time we woke up and grew some guts in that sense, Marie and all the other mothers certainly deserve to live the rest of their lives peacefully.

I will keep you updated as Aly will meet Marie very soon, there might be some ways we could all help.

"Heartbreaking , closure is important , it is a daily torture to live with the questions that have no answers , is he alive ? Is he dead? How ? Where? When? A mother's heart will never forget or let go , it will forever beat with the aching endless love for her kids !" - Latifa El Hinnawi 

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