What follows is a curated collection of memories from a deeply valuable month of my life, October 2023
Beginning the journey
On the brisk morning of October 21, I stood in front of the rising sun. Walking through the terminal, I joined the crowds of dreamers, mourners, and those engrossed in the mundane. An airport terminal is a fascinating place. There are long lines of travellers, patiently and impatiently waiting to fly together. Each person a unique soul, each soul with a unique story and their personal reasons for being present.
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Motto recommendations from the architects
Arrival
While I had no way of being certain how we'd land, I had picked the starboard-side window seat. With Calgary's main runways virtually pointing north-south I had a 50/50 chance of catching the mountains as we arrived. As it was, alhamdulillah, I was greeted with a glimpse of what my dreams have been made of.
The journey between my flight and the night's bed was lined with moments that both tested my patience and filled my heart. I spent an hour wait for my rental car but had a heavenly respite when I prostrated for prayer at a beautiful masjid.
Thank you, kind stranger, for helping recreate this.
Winding roads & the setting sun
Icefields Starfields
Cold mornings & early birds
Waking up and walking to a frost covered car is rarely fun but missing out hurts more. Catching auroras is a blessing.
Alpenglow
The drive to the Athabasca glacier was dotted with stars, mountains, and the slowly rising sun. Basking the vast landscape in pastel light. As I neared my destination, I was called to pause by every passing viewpoint.
Athabasca Glacier
Step by step, the hiker moves forward and the glacier's draws near. Year by year, the glacier recedes, asking of hiker a longer distance to be walked on; more steps to take.
Waterfalls & Sunshine
Horseshoe Lake
A beautiful place to rest after a long day. A scenery that reminds me of home.
Water & What Is Written With It
It's fascinating watching the passage of time write on these rocks with water as its ink. It's humbling to see what a fleeting moment on a geological scale may be is a lifetime in human age.
Chaba Imne
May we always appreciate the beauty in the original. May we never colonize beauty with any ugliness.
Medicine Lake
Watching seasons change by driving 30 minutes up a mountain road. The difference between the town of Jasper and Medicine Lake was like being months apart.
Depth before Departing
Mandatory before moving away, is a moment to pause and remember where we have been.
Goats & Glaciers
Watching seasons change.
Athabasca Glacier
Returning to where I had been, days apart, watching dirt turn to snow, dark turn to white.
Sunshine & Snowy Summits
Driving by and taking in some of the greatest blessings on earth.
Watching the day end, the sun set, and the summits illuminated. The time of maghrib prayer dawns on me.
Preparing for Adventure
Preparing to be humbled.
East End of Rundle
Testing patience and priorities in life.
Fridays & Freeways
Heading to Lake Minnewanka on a beautiful day.
O believers! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed diligently to the remembrance of Allah and leave off your business. That is best for you, if only you knew. (Quran 62:9)
fin