April 18, 1996. Sunday Easter day… Humanity was celebrating life, joy and happiness. Children of the world were happy; some were egg hunting, which we don’t have in our culture, eating their chocolate easter bunny, going to church with their parents celebrating life…  Besides these activities, Lebanese children were competing to see whose egg is the strongest, by trying to crack others’, enjoying home made sweets. A traditional Easter morning, except in the south where the hand of evil decided as usual that this is not acceptable, this is not how Easter this year should happen:  The kids of southern Lebanon should not be celebrating and these unfortunate kids were not… Actually, they were hiding from the evil hand, seeking protection of the “international law”, under the blue flag, thinking that they could be safe there………. Well, the enemy airplanes decided that these kids don’t have the right to live…as if they are the Almighty; sorry,  I forgot that’s what they think they are, they are the “chosen people” and everybody else are “animals created according to their image”.

The children of Qana were massacred, just because they are not worthy of life, according to the “chosen people”.

While the world continued celebrating life, joy and happiness, the Almighty army denied this right for our kids and surrounded us with bloodshed and death. They wanted to kill our childhood … it was their clear message to us saying that we do not have the right to exist… we will be eradicated from the roots.  And the children are our roots, our present, future, happiness, joy, dignity and pride…

April 18, 2007, it was the Wednesday before Easter.. A Lebanese child was born at the same date and time of the massacre, sending back another clear message: We, the children of Lebanon, have the right to exist, have the right for life, education, prosperity and joy. The good will win over the evil and the beauty will take over the ugliness. We are the children of life, as Gibran describes us & life is ours.

April 18, 2009: Happy birthday  baby boy! Sorry you are a” little man” now like you call yourself. On this special day, I want to thank you for giving me the honor to be a mom or “ mamisha”!

On this day, I tell you, Almighty army,  as a mom and as a Lebanese who saw and lived the pain you caused my people:  You cannot eliminate our children by sending messages of death like you did in July 2006 when you had your children send rockets with written messages on them to our kids, ten years before in 96 or again and again this Christmas and New year season of 2008… We would remain, alive, creating & prospering and just a reminder for you  and the whole world “we shall not forget”.