When the Vision Becomes the Journey

A June reflection on gratitude, trusting the journey, and making space to appreciate the moments we once prayed for.

There are moments when something you have been planning for so long suddenly becomes real. For me, one of those moments came on June 24 at Dulles International Airport.

I have left Dulles for Saudi Arabia many times before. There is a familiarity to the routine now: packing the luggage, weighing and reweighing the luggage to make sure nothing is overweight, getting to the airport, checking the bags in, making my way through security, finding the gate, boarding the plane, and then settling in for the long journey ahead. But this time felt different.

I had all the feels!

I wasn't simply traveling to Saudi Arabia. I was heading there to begin something that, for many months, had existed largely as an idea. A plan. Countless notes and conversations. A vision. Something I prayed Allah would allow us to bring to life.

On June 24, I was on my way to prepare for the very first Sacred Paths retreat, Chapter 1 - Origin & Revelation.

From Planning to Actually Going

I was traveling about a week ahead of the other women joining us for the retreat. Despite all the preparation we had done at home, there was still plenty to do once I arrived: final logistics to work through, things to purchase and organize, details to confirm, spaces to see. I wanted enough time on the ground to handle those things before everyone else began arriving.

If you read last month's blog, you know how much of May was spent preparing. Plans. Purchases. Retreat bags. Schedules. Conversations. It all seemed like an endless number of small decisions, and June brought more of the same, particularly as our departure date got closer.

But now there was an important difference: I had actually boarded the plane.

Sometimes we spend so much time working toward something that when it finally arrives, we are already mentally occupied with the next thing that needs to happen. I could easily have spent the entire journey thinking through my remaining to-do list. And, admittedly, some of that was happening! But I also wanted to give myself permission to recognize the significance of the moment.

After months of talking about Sacred Paths, planning Sacred Paths, preparing for Sacred Paths, and making du'a about Sacred Paths ... Sacred Paths was actually beginning!

A Pause in Istanbul

My journey took me through Istanbul, Türkiye, and even there I found myself thinking about Sacred Paths.

Türkiye is one of the places I hope Sacred Paths will eventually take us, in shaa Allah. Part of the vision is to experience Islamic history by traveling to the places where that history unfolded, allowing ourselves to learn, reflect, and connect with it in ways that are difficult to do from a distance.

So yes, there was something special about passing through Istanbul on my way to our very first retreat, imagining that perhaps one day I would be traveling there for another chapter of Sacred Paths.

It also reminded me to enjoy what was happening right then.

Sacred Paths had not even officially begun, and my mind was already wandering toward where we might go next. That is something I have to remind myself about sometimes. I am a planner. I naturally think ahead. I enjoy imagining what something can become and figuring out how to make it happen.

There is value in that. But there is also value in allowing ourselves to experience what is happening now.

As I traveled through Istanbul, I tried to do just that. I allowed myself to sit with the fact that something I had imagined, written about, discussed, planned for, made du'a about, and worked toward was becoming real.

Subhana'Allah. We are actually doing this!

Beginning in Makkah

From Istanbul, I continued to Jeddah. Once I landed, there were plenty of retreat-related things waiting for my attention. But there was something I wanted to do first.

I headed to my hotel in Makkah and prepared to make Umrah.

This would be a preliminary Umrah before the retreat, and I knew exactly how I wanted to approach it. For me, this was an Umrah of GRATITUDE!

I was grateful that Allah had allowed the idea of Sacred Paths to take shape, and had made this first chapter possible. There had been months of planning and plenty of uncertainty along the way. Now I was in Makkah, preparing for the women who would soon join us. Alhamduli'llah!

My du'a during that Umrah centered on the retreat and everyone who would be part of it. I prayed that the retreat would be successful and beneficial, that Allah would place barakah in what we had planned, and that the experience would be meaningful for the women who had entrusted us with this part of their journey.

I also prayed specifically for the safe travel and return of every single woman who would be joining us. From Shaykha Ieasha Prime, who would serve as our Spiritual Wellness Lead, to each woman participating in the retreat, I prayed that Allah would protect them as they traveled to us, and return each of them safely to their families and homes afterward.

There was something important to me about beginning Sacred Paths this way. Before welcoming anyone, facilitating a session, or beginning the retreat itinerary, I had the opportunity to carry the women who were coming in my du'a, and I remain incredibly grateful to Allah for giving me that opportunity.

Doing the Work and Trusting Allah

That Umrah also reminded me of something that can be difficult for those of us who like to plan: preparation has limits.

Planning matters. Details matter. Doing the work matters. And I certainly wasn't going to stop making lists or checking logistics simply because I had arrived in Saudi! There was still plenty for me to do before everyone arrived.

But I could only prepare what was within my ability to prepare.

I could coordinate the itinerary, communicate information, purchase supplies, organize materials, check spaces, anticipate needs, and try to make the experience as thoughtful as possible. But I could NOT control everyone's flights, prevent every unexpected complication, or guarantee that everything would unfold exactly as I had envisioned it.

At some point, preparation also requires trust ... trust in ALLAH!

For me, that meant doing the work that was mine to do and asking Allah to place barakah in it. It meant making du’a for the things beyond my control and trusting that whatever happened next would not depend solely on how well I had planned. It also meant trusting that Allah would send the right people to help along the way. People with good intentions, who shared my desire to see the retreat succeed, and are willing to help bring the vision to life.

So much of wellness involves learning to recognize the difference between what requires our action and what requires us to release some of our need for control. We can prepare, make thoughtful decisions, seek help, establish routines, set goals, and take meaningful steps toward the lives we want to live. But we cannot control every outcome.

Sometimes our responsibility is to do what we can, acknowledge what we cannot, and move forward with trust.

AAFIYAH Living | A Wellness Essential for This Month

This month’s reminder: Practice gratitude before moving to what’s next. When something you have hoped, prayed, or worked for comes to pass, pause long enough to give thanks. Acknowledge the milestone, the people who helped you along the way, and the ways Allah made a way for you. Gratitude gives us space to appreciate what has already been given before turning our attention to what comes next.

My recommendation this month is Attitude of Gratitude: An Interactive Program for Cultivating Gratitude. If you want to become more intentional about practicing gratitude, consider using it as a tool to help you make gratitude something you actively practice rather than something you simply feel in passing.

You can also keep it simple. When you reach a milestone, even a small one, take a few minutes to reflect on what it took to get there, what you learned along the way, who helped you reach that point, and what you are grateful for. Write it down, share your appreciation with someone who supported you, or make space in your du’a to thank Allah for what He has made possible.

Gratitude doesn’t mean the work is finished. It simply gives us an opportunity to acknowledge what has already been given and how far we have come before continuing the journey.

As June came to a close, there was still a lot of work waiting for me. The sisters would soon begin arriving, and our first Sacred Paths retreat would finally move from something we had planned to something we would experience together.

I didn’t know exactly how those days would unfold. But I was grateful to be there, grateful for what Allah had already made possible, and excited about what was ahead.

The journey BEGINS ... Bismi'llah!

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