Her name was Hagar and her story is the struggle of a single mother. It was the first time I experienced it as a single mother, with my own two young sons. Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Now centuries later, during the Hajj, Muslims pay tribute to Hagar's tenacity and hope by running between Safa and Marwa seven times. And yet, in my struggle to find my footing as a single mother, with all the fear, anxiety and loneliness that came with it, this was one time where I could not find any instruction.

Source: CBC News September 13, 2016 21:01 UTC