Tough-looking teenage boys who reduce themselves to goofy noises to try to make Sakeenah smile and then melt to pieces when she does

Seeing a new bird fluttering through the slum that I’ve never seen before

Shadia making phone calls home to her ‘mata ji’ and ‘papa’

Every moment that one of my learners puts together two letters that they couldn’t put together before

The little two-foot high toddler who faithfully walks up every day to say “assalam walekum” and shake my hand even though he legit doesn’t look old enough to talk

Girls playing cricket

Getting booked for a speaking engagement and being told that I’m not there to teach people how to run a literacy program, but to inspire them to serve

Every moment seeing Peregrine with the girls at the safe house

Gulab Bano being goofy

Every time Shadia responds to any praise with, “Of course I did it well, I am your daughter!”

A good lassi

My boss being proud of me

Everything Hamza can make out of recycled materials

The moment Sakeenah hears my voice after I’ve been gone a little while

Talking to Jeph Mathias

Listening to the little kids in the alleyway make up elaborate role-playing games

The way Ali’s mom tells me to come in and sit down and have a chai every time I visit, even when only his brother and sisters are there

Shadia’s love for special needs children and desire to teach them

The face the grandpa downstairs makes every time he sees Sakeenah

Aisha’s perseverance

Every time I hear a student reading a book, and remember when they couldn’t read a word

Hearing Tim, or Joseph, or Zoe, or Carol, or Myra, or Eunice, or anyone else say that they want to be part of the same life