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Eric J North

@ejn_356

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Muslim Revert. Father of 2 beautiful adult daughters. All praises due to Allah. 🤲🏾 📿

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Today my abuela/grandmother turned 95. The matriarch of the North/Mendez clan that has always been so strong; emotionally, mentally, and physically. Seeing her weaken in her older age has proven to be especially difficult, but her continued presence on this planet is a gift that I am eternally grateful for. Maria Soto is my angel. She has always been so kind and generous to her grandchildren in ways I could never adequately convey or express. We celebrated her birthday by having an amazing meal in Manhattan and by giving her flowers both figuratively, as well as literally to show our eternal gratitude. This song is by one of her favorite artists that I also appreciated listening to growing up. I recall as a very young child with her blasting this record throughout her home while she cleaned and prepared meals for us all. All praise be to Allah for allowing her to exist on this planet for so long. Her company is cherished, her words are coveted, and her presence is adored. May she make it to another birthday a year from now Insha’Allah 🤲🏾. taken in Upper West Side by @ejn_356

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18 hours ago

You were only nineteen in this photograph. Today, you turn seventy five. And here I am, your grown son, looking at your face with tears in my eyes, trying to make words hold a love they were never built to carry.

This will forever be my favourite photograph of you. Before I knew your voice, before you ever held me, before I had a name, there you were. The young woman who would become my mother. You could not yet have known how much you would mean to the children still waiting to meet you.

On your first date, Dad told you that you would be the mother of his three sons. I look at this picture and smile through my tears. He was right. Before any of us could choose you, he did, and I will be grateful for that choice for the rest of my life.

Allah gave me a mother beautiful inside and out. But as I grow older, I understand that being your son means more than admiring your beauty. It means recognising the woman behind the word “Mom.” The years you have lived, the things you have carried, the parts of yourself you gave while we were still too young to understand their worth.

I see more of that now, Mom. And I thank you.

I adore you. I cherish you. There is no other mother, no other life, no other beginning I would trade you for. Of all the blessings Allah has placed in my hands, being your son is one I will never finish thanking Him for.

May Allah grant you health, ease, laughter, and many more birthdays with us. May you feel deeply loved. Not only today, but in the ordinary moments when you need it most.

Happy seventy fifth birthday, Mom. The girl in this photograph could not have known that, fifty six years later, her son would look at her and cry because he loves her so much.

But I hope the woman reading this does. 🤲🏾❤️ by @ejn_356

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16 days ago

One thing I’ve learned in my 47 years on this planet(almost 48) is that life is too damn short. We all too often take for granted the time we are permitted to be here, and think we always have tomorrow. The truth is that tomorrow is never promised, and that we need to tell our friends, homies, family, and loved ones that they are appreciated. Give these people their’ flowers 💐 while they are alive to receive them. This man was not just my barber, but my friend for almost 30 years. To lose him, is to lose a piece of me, and I know I’ll never be the same. Rest In Peace Dula! You are loved and missed. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un 🤲🏾. taken in Bronx, NY by @ejn_356

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22 days ago

Through thick and thin, my brother, my best friend. From womb mates to teammates, I have never known a world without you in it, & the older I get, the more I understand what a blessing that is.

We’ve grown into our own men, but there’s a part of my heart only you will ever understand. The same heart, familiar struggles, and a pride in each other’s victories that feels like winning twice. We are mirrors, each carrying pieces of a story the other never needs to explain.

I would die for you, but I would rather live for you. Grow old with you. Answer when you call. Be there for the days we’ll remember, and the ones we’ll need each other to survive.

I love you for the sake of Allah, my brother. We shared our first home beneath our mother’s heart, and you’ve had a place in mine ever since. May Allah give us years of laughter still to come, until we’re two old men reminding each other of the boys we used to be. 🤲🏾❤️ 👶🏽👶🏽 taken in Los Angeles, California by @ejn_356

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a month ago

Morning y’all! Rise and grind! Y’all need to get out there and purchase this tee, as well as some other options they have. Go to @globalterritoryny and check them out. The quality is unparalleled, and they have plenty of more options coming in future days. @therealmrnorth I’ll be picking up yours tomorrow P. by @ejn_356

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a month ago

For those that have a history with me; only y’all will understand the history of our friendship. I’m talking about almost 3 decades of brotherhood and support for each other. This man has progressed in ways y’all couldn’t possibly comprehend, and what this man has in store for y’all is going to blow y’all minds. taken in Bronx, NY by @ejn_356

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a month ago

I have mixed feelings when it comes to certain songs. There’s no question this one is beautifully composed and sung by the incredibly talented Gregory Abbott. (“Shake you Down.”) but the truth is, it carries the weight of someone I love who’s no longer here.
My father introduced me to this song. He used to sing it word for word, note for note, and watching him do it, made my brothers and I want to learn every line ourselves. He came up on doo-wop, so those high notes came to him like breathing. Effortless, & almost weightless.
And here’s the thing people never expected… Given his size, his stature, that unmistakable masculine presence, you’d never guess a man built like that could sing like an angel. But he had it. He carried a voice tender enough to hold a room, tucked inside a frame strong enough to hold the world.
So when this song plays, I smile. And I mean that. But I won’t pretend there aren’t tears sitting right behind that smile too. I’m still learning what to do with that kind of joy and grief living in the same breath. So for now, I’m just sharing it with you.
Either way, I hope this timeless song reaches you the way it still reaches me. by @ejn_356

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3 months ago

Family means everything to me. I miss each of you so much, and I hold you close in my heart. These photos are from a year ago, and time has flown by. They show my nephews, my daughter, my mom, my older brother, my twin brother Eric @ejn_356 , and my sweet grandma / Abuela 👵🏾. I can’t wait to see you all again and share those moments of love together. May Allah protect you all. by @ejn_356

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3 months ago

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Some are good, some are bad, and some others are such a life-altering experience that they change whom you are fundamentally. My aunt Terry passed away just a few days ago; and I still have not been able to properly mourn or accept that my father’s side of the family are all gone. My father, his mother shortly afterwards, and now his sister. I’m sorry I didn’t converse with you as much the past year or two, but I do hope that where you are now allows you to experience a peace you had not felt in quite some time. I hope that you are in a place filled with peace and with as many cats that you can possibly feed and care for. I hope that grandma, and my father are both there with you, and are as equally filled with the joy that you had given to us all these years. Our sorrow will ease with time, but the emptiness felt in our hearts will never be filled until we are all united once again. I love you, and I wanted you to know that your presence on this earth mattered. You were an angel on a planet filled with too many selfish people. Your giving heart was unparalleled, and your thoughtfulness was beyond compare. You will be missed Aunt Terry. I will never forget you.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” taken in Freehold Township, New Jersey by @ejn_356

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3 months ago

This bond cannot be duplicated, nor understood, unless you’ve walked this earth beside your mirror. Two P’s 🐓 in a Pod. 🫛 Cut from one root, and grown on loyal soil.

Though continents now divide us, no ocean, no distance, no drifting tide can touch what was written in us before birth. Eric @ejn_356 is handsome, strong, faithful. A father who builds rather than breaks, a road dog whose loyalty needs no oath, for it was sealed in the womb before the world ever asked us to choose sides.

Some men search a lifetime for a brother like this. I was born with mine. 🤝🏾 Alham’dulillah !

Photo kredit goes to the homie @p1ruexz @exz_p1ru taken in California USA by @ejn_356

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3 months ago

Some blessings arrive disguised as siblings. Mine arrived as my twin, and I have been rich ever since. 🏝️ taken in Long Beach Pier by @ejn_356

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3 months ago

Haley…Today you turn 22 years old. Today my baby girl turned a page, and became even more incredible that u could have ever possibly imagined. I look at you; and I simply can’t believe how much you’ve grown into this magnificent human being. To think I played a part in creating such a wonderful soul; fills me with a joy that I can’t adequately convey. I love you my daughter. I adore you. You are my greatest achievement, the source of so much of my stress, but also the reason I never gave up in life when times were at their darkest. You are the source of my strength, and there’s nothing that I can do to express just how grateful I am to your mother for helping raise you. As friends we coparented; and I prayed every day(and still do) that you’d turn out to be the best parts of us both; so that even the stars were no limit for your creativity or drive. Enjoy your day my beautiful daughter. and have an absolute blast on your birthday vacation. Thank you for surviving when the doctors said you wouldn’t be born, and thank you for showing me every day that miracles do exist. I love you. Allah is the greatest of all planners. That is why he gave me daughters. Ameen. 🤲🏾 by @ejn_356

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3 months ago