We’ll get to Ecclesiastes…or is it the Byrds …

But…First, thanks to Shobi and Siva for helping me out with hosting this Saturday when we’ll be running from Candy Cane City.  

Second, UPA asks for quotes from Iqraa runners: Why do you run for Iqraa? Well, they came to the right place. 😉 Two stipulations:

  •  A few sentences in length, no more than a paragraph
  • Please indicate whether your name can be used: first name only, first and last, or no name.

Next, a PSA from Cathy (Iqraa since 2010), who’s run the prestigious Boston marathon. Cathy is participating in the reading of We Are Not Numbers (by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey, 2025)—whose stories she helped edit–at Busboys and Poets on Sept 4th at 6 pm.

To every thing there is a season. It’s the season to begin fundraising, in addition to running. To fundraise, we must plant and then pluck up that which is planted…

So to gather stones together:

  •  Understand the cause. You can find more here at UPA and  here at Iqraa
  • Write from your heart. The most convincing message is your narrative—on anything you understand and care about. 
  • Ask…and explain how. A beautiful narrative without a request for support and a link for donors will get you praise and good feelings but won’t help our students pay their tuition.
  • Start now. There’s more than one approach but mine is to write an initial outreach in Jul/Aug explaining the cause’s importance, a 2nd message weeks before my race summarizing that summer’s training, and a final outreach narrating my race.
  • Let your mood/personality in: if you feel colorful, jovial, sad…that’s an authentic part of your personal story.
  • We’ll share templates. Typically, a few of us share our messages with the group hoping to spark an idea or provide an incentive to others to pick up their pens, laptops, or phones.

Last week/this week (photos). Last Saturday at Carderock, Cathy, Basel, Bill, Reza, and me ran (or walked), and then Cathy, Bilal, Reza, Shobi and me met in the afternoon at the Museum of the Palestinian People, followed by mezze and knafeh at Nabiha, nearby on U St.  This Saturday, we’ll be at Candy Cane City, where marathoners will run 18 and half marathoners will do 11 miles.

[The divine] has made every thing beautiful in its time

and also has set the world in [human] hearts,

so that no one can find out the work that

[the divine] makes from the beginning to the end.

…there is no good in them but to rejoice and to do good in this life.

~Ecclesiastes 3:11-12