Every person that walks into your life makes some kind of impact just like every pebble makes waves in a body of water. The only factor governing the amplitude of the waves is the size of the pebble. The largest pebble ever dropped into my life is my father.

I am fortunate to have such a terrific father. My father essentially shaped my morals inside of me but the inspiration did not come from the outside. The strive to be a better person came from within my being. I wish to be at least half of the man that my father continues to be for my family. This man single handedly shaped my hard working character, my light hearted temperament, and my appreciation of life just by being humble for his life. He is always telling me snippets of his childhood and how hard it was growing up so unfortunate as well as misdirected. I have absolutely no excuse to be anything less than the greatest I can because when I compare my childhood to his, I have every single necessity to be happy.

The man who gave me my name is important to me because he was so sure that I would be successful that he named me Kamal which means perfection in Arabic. This echoes in my head every time I think I cannot overcome an obstacle that has been placed upon my path. That is the kindest thing ever given to me and it is the gift that keeps giving. To this day I pick up new hobbies and attempt to perfect my skills in that profession. To put it simply, I am a perfectionist. While this may lead to disappointment part of the time, it also enables me to set a standard for myself that anything less than perfect is unacceptable and if I cannot achieve perfection, at least try my personal best.

In essence, my father is important to me because he gave me myself. I am a product of his nurturing, ideals, experience, and most importantly, his success. My father taught me how to be independent by leaving me to voyage across the world to assist the less fortunate. Somehow, he never did he alienate his love from me in my times of need. He is always there for me, and can recognize when I am in need of help without me ever uttering a word.

He tells me frequently “Son, I must be the luckiest man in the world,” and in my head I think “No, I am just the luckiest son.” I pray that I am as exceptional of a father to my children as my father has been to me.