Salaamualaikum everyone!

Who’s ready for a summer of fun? A summer of rest and relaxation? A productive summer? A summer of travel? Whatever your plans are, we hope it’s a good one filled with moments of recovery, deep breaths, healing, joy and some good old fun! Allow me to share some personal news as I’m headed into my second season of graduation with youngest son graduating from middle school and my eldest son on the cusp of a milestone we have anticipated with a mix of stomach-churning worry, prayer, hope and love for years – his graduation from school at the age of 22, after 19 years of special education.

For those of you who may have been following our family’s autism journey or may have been introduced to our story through some random posts where I’ve written about it here at The Haute Take, my son D has never had a formal graduation – not from high school or college. In the special education world, depending on the disability support needs of one’s child, they may graduate at the end of high school with peers or they may continue on in their education until the age of 22, which is when you age out.

That can be a scary prospect for families – what to do when your child stops going to school and school support services end. It’s rather like walking off a cliff into the great unknown of adult disability world, which is kind of like the Wild West of yore. D’s time has come, and in less than two weeks he will “graduate.” And then what? Well, we are figuring that out. What I do know is that his story is far from over, and while the pen has been lifted on the akhirat (hereafter) that I know is promised to him, his story in this dunya is still very much being written.

So for our family, this is the summer of closure, worry and a lot of hope.

Fabbi ayi ala i rabbi kuma tukazziban. What favors of your Lord would you deny? [Surah Ar-Rahman]

What kind of a summer will it be for you? That’s the beauty of it all, isn’t it? Who knows? It’s stretched out in front of us with possibility. We’re cheekily calling it Haute Girl Summer, which for us on the blog means a summer of sisterhood, rekindling of friendships and intentions as well as a look at how we, as modest-wearing Muslim women, approach fashion and style during the dog days of summer.

I’ve been having my monthly writer’s meetings with my team this week, and as we fill our editorial calendar with content and stories for June and beyond, I’m so excited about what’s to come. Layla will be bringing you her annual “Summer Reads” post as well as looking at what “Haute Woman Summer” means for us more mature women of a certain age :)

Hakeemah is turning her attention to some exciting interviews and trends in the modest Muslim fashion world, with an interview with a cool niqabi influencer whose beautiful story you just have to read! She’ll also be exploring the best ways to style hats and hijabs, because you KNOW we want to look stylish while having sun protection!

Danah, who has a summer of travel stretched out in front of her, is tackling that age-old Muslim woman challenge of how to pack for a trip by matching a few hijabs to many outfits. She is also going to explore the importance of girls’ trips and rekindling sisterhood, especially when you’re in that season of life when you can’t seem to get away from your familial and mamma responsibilities.

And finally, we are so excited to be launching a summer series in partnership with The Family and Youth Institute looking at how to prepare for marriage. We’ve got an exciting lineup of topics planned out, from how to know when you’re ready to get married to guidelines for discussing sensitive topics with a potential partner to how family communication styles can impact the marriage process.

I could go on and on about what we have coming this summer on the blog, but do me a favor and just keep checking back to The Haute Take to see for yourself! We’ll see you on the blog and on our social media platforms, Insha’Allah! As always, take care, make good choices and start with Bismillah.

Editorially yours,

Dilshad