My Shwayyah: In Memory
July is always a mash up month for me, where the elation of summer and the melancholy of mourning meet. The first day of the month marked 8 years since my daughter Octavia Shwayyah Rashid passed away. Despite the pain that inevitably accompanies the loss of a loved one, Shwayyah's life and death leave heavier imprints of joy on my heart. The oldest of my first brood of stepkids, our relationship was meshed with struggle as I wrestled my way through parenthood. By the time she became a parent herself, we had reconciled a difficult past. Our relationship changed, and Shwayyah became my confidant, an inspiration. Shwayyah taught me. She taught me that all of the kids I raised turned out pretty dope, despite my screwups, because my presence, intentions, and struggles to be a parent counted more than I could ever realize. She teasingly called me "Pops" because I was "getting old." My daughter's death is sans tragedy. The only "bad" thing was how