God Bless and we miss you Faiyaz

Once Harrison warmed up to Faiyaz they formed a beautiful bond

Harrison FINALLY was able to ride in the front seat of the van...but not a regular occurrence 

Though this is a blurry picture, it shows how much these two had fun together

Nothing like a lift up in Faiyaz's strong arms

Kite flying...

with a wonderful teacher!

Sweet baby Lewis and proud big brother! 

Yup Harrison is holding Lewis on Faiyaz's motorcycle

Sweet Aliya holding Lewis at Harrison's 5th birthday party

Silly Harrison taking a break on the dashboard!

A last ride before moving back to Seattle, WA

Thank you God for Faiyaz and Aliya

August 2017...our last picture with Faiyaz.

I needed time to process...time to reflect...time to accept. I spent time yesterday looking at all the photos taken while we lived in Hyderabad July 2013-June 2015. The outpouring of memories was amazing. It was heartwarming to see pictures of Faiyaz with Harrison and the many places he touched our lives.

In June 2017 Faiyaz started to have stomach issues. What started as a tumor in front of his stomach quickly spread to his back then brain. Faiyaz died on March 17th.

Faiyaz was the first person we met when we landed in the early hours of July 2013. He spoke very little English and it was difficult to understand what he was saying. Amazon would pay one month for a driver and then it was up to us to make the decision to have a driver, to keep Faiyaz or to find a new driver. We wanted a driver whom spoke English so we could understand him. As the days moved forward we started to understand Faiyaz better and appreciated his safe driving. We lived in a hotel apartment for three months before our furniture arrived from Seattle and we could move into our duplex. Faiyaz and Aliya helped us turn the duplex into a home quickly with their labor of love.
More then just our driver in India:
Our first taste of homemade Indian food came from Faiyaz and Aliya...while still living in our hotel apartment
Handyman for hanging pictures and trying to revive battery explosion toys (some were saved)
Speaker of positivity, especially how wonderful God is
Most importantly, Faiyaz and Aliya became our family

I left a piece of my heart in Hyderabad when we moved back to Seattle in June 2015. I did not realize how much I would miss having a constant friend in the car with me. I continue to think about Faiyaz when I get into my car and lift up a prayer for him and his family. Thank you God for bringing Faiyaz and Aliya into our lives.

As our family moves forward, we look forward to keeping our bond strong with Aliya and family. Thank you God for your love and support everyday.