If given the chance to pen a note to the one you adore, or show gratitude for a period of your life, what would you write? Vogue Arabia asked Emirati film director Ali F Mostafa to write a letter to his wife Maha Gorton, here’s what he had to say.
TO THE WIFE I LOVE
Ali Mostafa and Maha Gorton. Photographed by Alex Wolfe.
Originally published in February 2019 issue of Vogue Arabia.
Dear Maha,
I have always been a very visual person, since childhood, and as I grew older, I started to imagine what traits and looks my future wife would have. But it wasn’t until years later, after briefly meeting you, that I realized you were the one I had always imagined. While our first encounter 19 years ago was only fleeting, I knew from that moment that I would spend the rest of my life with you. As fate had it, just a few years later we got married. Over the last 14 years, you have been my partner through thick and thin, and you have given me the most incredible children anyone could ever ask for.
This may sound pretty nuts, but while you are everything I imagined as my wife, I visualized our children too, from their looks to their personalities. And you made it happen for us. You are what I call a true soulmate – someone who grows with you until eventually you adjust to be the best you can be towards each other. You stood by my dreams and ambitions with conviction. You inspired me. We got married so young, we grew up together and matured together. There were many times when we could have moved in opposite directions, but that would’ve been too easy. We were meant to figure it out.
We were meant to be.
Every time I look at you or our family, I thank God for reminding me that I must have done something so good, somewhere, to deserve this. While I do feel a little odd expressing my feelings so publicly, you deserve more than any of this. You are a mother like no other. Our children are glued to each other and us, and that’s as a result of the incredible support you offer. The children are a reflection of you. Yes, I’m the father and I help, but you are our entire world.
I have never met anyone, other than my own mother, more deserving of the world than you. The craziest part is that you don’t even ask for anything in return. You’re a fighter, a genius, and a rock. You’ve been my strength, my mentor, my muse, my advisor, and my best friend. Your laugh is contagious and your heart is enormous. With supernatural strength, your mind is even more beautiful, if that’s possible. My life is nothing without you in it.
I cannot be more proud to call you my wife and may God bless your soul for the rest of your compassionate days and ways. It’s your birthday month, so this little ode to the woman I love could not have come at a better time. I just wish I could have filled the entire magazine with my message of love for you.
For my ride or die
Ali
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