By Humaira

Last week in the midst of my very domestic American life -- driving basketball carpools, coordinating cello practice and making runs to Trader Joe’s -- I received news that a suicide bomber had directed an attack on Minister Khalid, the head of intelligence in Afghanistan and a longtime friend of mine.

The attacker hid the bomb near his genitals where Afghans would never search a person and passed through the minister’s security details undetected. This was the first time I personally knew the victim of a suicide attack. This victim was not just another faceless name, I had seen him laugh, make jokes, and share his hopes and dreams for Afghanistan.

I had met his mother, his wife, his children and he knew my family. All of sudden what seemed like something that happened to others was real and present in my reality. As I absorbed this terrible news, I felt so hopeless and so sad not just for my friend, but for the people of Afghanistan who suffer losses every day living as they do in a war zone. It’s been their reality for the past 34 years.

I even felt heartache for the suicide bomber himself who knowingly and willingly hid a bomb in his clothing to blow himself up.

I can’t help but wonder:

Why? What motivates a person and his accomplices to think it is okay to strap on a bomb and kill oneself? Why on earth did I not react more strongly all these years I’ve heard of other attacks and deaths? Those victims too have mothers, wives, and children. Have I, along with the rest of our society, decided that as long as a terrorist attack is not on our soil it is not a big deal?

In the nine years I have known Minister Khalid this was the fifth attempt on his life. Perhaps death is part of the job description for an Afghan official and there are so many ways for it to be carried out: car bombs, suicide attacks, bullets at weddings and funerals, and most recently a deathly bomb hidden in a turban.

After hearing news of my friend’s attack, my 10-year-old daughter Sofia sent me an email with the subject line, “FEEL BETTER.” It read, “I hope you feel better about your friend, Mommy. He will get better if you use The Secret.” By “The Secret, “ she is referring to the use of positive thoughts to manifest your hopes and desires. Today I received news that Minister Khalid is in stable condition, he is speaking and his family is with him. So, in this holiday season I ask that you to use “The Secret,” by thinking positively, praying, visualizing, or doing whatever is right for you to help my friend recover from this tragedy and the people of Afghanistan find a peaceful future.

Thank you, and as Sofia would say "Peace out".