I woke up this morning in Dublin to a knock on my front door.  I opened my window, peaked my head down to the street, and saw a man wearing a Fed Ex uniform.

There was a package.

After the Fed Ex man butchered my name (it’s Con-sa-dine and not Con-se-deen), my hands got on the package, so I searched for the sending address.  The package was from the School of International Service at American University, Washington, D.C..

That narrowed it down.  It was from the great Dr Akbar Ahmed.

The package wasn’t entirely a surprise.  A few weeks back, Dr Ahmed had sent me an e-mail which said that Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam was now out in paperback.  Considering I helped write the book, Dr Ahmed figured it was right to send me a copy.

I now have the copy in hand.  It’s likely that I’m going to read it again in the near future.  It will mark about the tenth time that I’ve done so.

So much has changed for me since the fall of 2008, when we (his team) first embarked on that unprecedented journey, which really had life-altering implications.  The people I had met, the things I had seen, the experiences I had, and all that I learned from traveling with Dr Ahmed, are truly priceless and unforgettable.

Sometimes I think about how truly lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life.  To be Dr Ahmed’s student, and one of his closest at that, is something I cherish deeply.

I’m truly a lucky man.  That’s about the best way I can explain it.  I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for his spiritual and intellectual guidance.

For him I’m eternally grateful.