Waleed J. Iskandar
(1967-2001)
"Wherever he was, that became the best place in the world to be"
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2 0 0 4 04/11/2004 |
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Our pastor, Reverend Peter Moran, asked me if, on Good Friday, I will be able to read a word of "the Seven Last Words" of Jesus Christ on the cross. The following is what I have prepared: September 11, 2001 is a horrible day in the history of our nation. September 11, 2001 is the worst day in my life. Our son, Waleed, was a passenger on flight AA11 from Boston to LA. He was on his way to visit us and inform us of the date of his wedding. He never made it. He was 34 years old. On that sinister day I felt like my life had been shattered and vanquished, everything was finished for me. Each minute of the day, I used to ask myself “WHY?” But I could find no answer. Then I turned to God and asked him: “Since there is no answer to my WHY, please show me HOW to say goodbye?” God listened to me. And He showed me HOW?" "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Gospel of Luke 23:34 The first word that Jesus said after he was crucified by the Roman soldiers on Golgotha, with two criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Jesus asks his Father to forgive his executioners, who had scourged him, mocked him, tortured him, and who had just nailed him to the cross. After arriving at the place of the skull, the centurion hurled Jesus to the ground and tied His arms to the crossbeam. The dull spikes tore through the palms of His hands. Then they elevated Him with the cross. The crowd cursed and despised Him. Then the soldiers took His garment and gambled for his robe. Jesus prayed to God and said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." The cross which was used in the old times to execute thieves and robbers as a sign of humiliation and degradation was used on Jesus. They chose the crucifixion, which is the invention of the evil and the wicked minds, determined to make death as painful as possible. The cross was chosen as a means to execute Jesus. They could have hanged Jesus, they could have stoned Him or decapitated Him by a sword or by an axe. No .………… That would have been swift and fast death. They wanted for Him the slow death. Christ, the innocent victim, overcame all this and now He reigns victorious through all eternity. The CROSS became a sign of Forgiveness and LOVE. The CROSS became a pride to be worn around one’s neck. Jesus’ death on the Cross is for the salvation of all mankind. Let us become true followers of Him by imitating His love and his forgiveness. Our love and prayer for our neighbor will play an essential role for peace in the world. We can fight evil by loving as Jesus loved. We can have the most powerful weapon in our hearts, the weapon of love and with God's help we can make Jesus' words our own. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." When we forgive, we are working with the power of our Creator. None of us is born loving and forgiving. We learn it from one another and the learning is slow and hard. We need to turn to God. We must decide that love and forgiveness are God’s way. And then, we must call upon Him to help us. That quick reaction, "let’s get them killed" is a result of natural instinct. But the way of God is far above that. God’s way involves forgiveness. God’s way involves love. It is more than the natural human reaction. It is the response of a human blessed by God. The worst pain that a person can experience is the loss of a child. When we lost Waleed, I felt like I lost everything. I even wanted death. Those amongst you who lost a child do understand what I mean. When a person experiences a tragedy, he has the choice to become either Bitter or Better. God showed me how to be Better. I now live by what our Pastor, Monsignor Peter Moran, once preached in one of his homilies: “A true Christian should live by the four words, Kindness, Forgiveness, Mercy and Patience”. I am now more kind, I am more forgiving, I am more merciful and I am more patient. Pope John Paul II once wrote: “Forgiveness is a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil. The measure of such a decision is the love of God who draws us to himself in spite of our sin. It has its perfect example in the forgiveness of Christ, who on the Cross prayed: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." The One who prayed like that is the One I need and I want for my SAVIOR. It is written in chapter 8 of the “Romans 8:35, 37-39”: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, nor the present nor the future, nor any power, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." After meditating on this first word of Jesus, I feel that we all are in need of more compassion and more LOVE. Jesus loved mankind so much that he came down, was persecuted hideously, tortured gruesomely and sentenced unjustly to save us from our sins. If we spread LOVE and understanding all around us, if we start caring and loving one another a little more, we can create a better world. Then our children will live in a safe and hate-free WORLD. Let us keep in mind what Mother Theresa once said: “It is by Forgiving that we are forgiven”. 04/09/2004 |
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This is the wedding day of your cousin Benny and Jenny O'Connor. Both have decided to donate all their wedding gifts to the “UW Foundation-AFCH Building Fund”. A room in the new Hospital will be named after you (waleed Iskandar Room). The new hospital will have the following address: UW Hospital and Clinics/UW Children's Hospital University of Wisconsin Foundation 1848 University Avenue PO Box 8860 Madison, WI 53708-8860 Thank you Benny and Jenny 04/12/2004 |
 Our dear friends Beverly and David Werneburg have donated a brick in memory of our son, Waleed. It is laid in Stillwater Blockhouse Memorial Park's Walk of Life. Here is what they wrote us:    04/27/2004 |
 The aunt (Fran) and uncle (Tom) of Diane (Dani) Moore Parsons sent us the photo of the Blockhouse at Stillwater, N. Y. They wrote on the back of the photo the following:  Thank you Fran and Tom. 04/27/2004 |
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This is the wedding day of your cousin Maria and Nadim S. Maalouf. The wedding was held in an old church in Jbeil, Lebanon. When I watched them both coming down the isle of the church, I imagined you and your bride beside you. I could not take you of my mind all day long. 05/28/2004 |
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Today marks the 1,000th day since September 11, 2001. Every single day since your loss, I thought of you. Every ceremony we attend, I relate it to you, especially weddings. Last night, we attended the wedding of Ben Davies and Kathy Corbett. The Best man was Greg Davies, Ben's brother. I watched them sitting close together on the center table. I imagined you and Sany, your brother, as your Best man at your wedding that never took place. We were looking forward to it. But God had another plan for you. Lord have Mercy! 06/07/2004 |
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