There are people—just a few in life—that you know were turning points for you, for different reasons, but you know they played a role you will never forget. Hoda was one of those people for me.
Hoda and I had been friends since we were girls. We would meet when our parents happened to attend the same Bahá’í events in the region, since we didn’t live in the same city. Later, as teenagers, we would run into each other at youth gatherings or when I visited Mendoza. That’s how our friendship grew stronger. We didn’t see each other often, but when we did, we talked a lot.
At one point, she went to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to serve for a while, and we had arranged to meet again after a long time. I was living in Villa Mercedes, San Luis at the time, and she came to visit for about a week during the winter holidays (about five hours from Mendoza). I was in my last year of high school, trying to figure out what to do with my future. She knew that and brought me all the information she could find about Nur University in Bolivia.
It was a time when getting information was difficult, especially from far away, and she took the care to bring me everything. That day, we went to a nearby park, sat on a bench, and she took out the brochures and documents. One by one, she showed them to me, read them, and explained everything. That day, I felt something special about my future. I really liked something she shared, and it lit a small spark in my heart and mind. That little light later guided me with clarity to that city, that degree, that university, and all the deep learning I experienced there. That decision led me to meet Samy a year later—who would eventually become my husband—and together, years later, we had daughters and built a family and our strength.
That moment was no coincidence in my life, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I never forgot it. It’s always with me. Every time I give thanks for my life, every time I look into my daughters’ eyes, I remember that moment and I’m thankful for it. I will always be grateful to Hoda—for her purity, humility, simplicity, and the dedication she brought to everything she did, and for that time in her life that she gave me, which became the turning point without which my life would not be the same.
Gloria I.