Merry Christmas, From Hell
I have a friend. He is 7640 miles from me. His life sucks.
I got a Facebook message from him today. He wanted to wish me a Merry Christmas. I have no idea how he even found a computer to get on Facebook.
This was his message:
Dear Trey & Family, In this beautiful occasion where all of our hearts are blessed by the birth of Jesus & his blessed Mother Mary the Virgin of all pure hearts. We wish you a Merry Christmas May Allah bring you joy, peace & happily-ever-after. Sending you all our best wishes in this Christmases Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2021 We pray to our Almighty God to cure all the people who got infected by Corona & to bring Peace in Yemen & the entire world. Our greetings to you all. Best wishes Yours Sincerely (Deleted)
He is Muslim and lives in Yemen.
Yemen is hell on earth. He is in his late 40’s and trying to figure out how to keep his family alive. He has nothing. Yemen has nothing. Now it has nothing and a virus.
I wrote him back:
My Man! How are you? How is life? Happy Holiday to you and your family. Are you still in Yemen?
He was our guide on a four-day adventure into Yemen last year. He drove us right into the heart of the country. We stayed in hideouts as he kept us alive and from getting kidnapped. I wrote about him in my book, Love Is Bananas because he stole my heart and is an amazing man. His love story gave me chills.
He wrote back:
Hello brother we are in struggle because of Corona lockdown since March 2020 until today jobless unfortunately, Surrounded with pain and patience hoping that the Omani border will re-open someday sooner than later. Yes I'm in Sana'a. Thank you for your reply I hope the situation will get better and the Saudi war in Yemen plus Corona will be finished.
His dream is to somehow get his family out of Yemen and into Oman where is it safe and he might be able to find work. However, this takes a $6000 bribe and he is always $6000 short.
Yemen is the most pathetic place I have ever seen. A ghost country void of life. An endless desert of brown barren land and worn-out buildings as old as the earth. There is war, a virus, rebels, warlords, corruption, and zero resources. There is no government, no work, and no hope.
Sometimes I wonder why some people are born into hellish circumstances and some aren’t. I didn’t deserve to be born in Atlanta and he didn’t deserve to be born in Yemen. Yet, here we are.
His message to me was a sign. A reminder to live my life. A sign to count my blessings and send compassion to those less fortunate. A sign we all need to hold each other up sometimes.
Stay safe my friends.
Trey