So…

I didn’t have too much planned in the way of Eid celebrations today, but I didn’t think I would be spending it wishing that I could sleep uninterrupted for just a few hours.

Last night my youngest was really sick, I don’t think that he slept at all, instead I currently have a pile of sheets and clothes to be washed because they are covered in vomit. He is the last one to get sick. The other 2 have been taking turns earlier in the week. I don’t remember the last time I slept for more than an hour without someone crying “mommy”, or rather, “moommmmyyyyy”.

But this morning I was holding my almost 3 year old on my chest, and he said “mommy?”, and I replied “yes babe?”, and he said “you are nice!” Aww right? No matter how bad the headaches, sleepless nights, crying, screaming, and whatever else that comes with multiple kids being sick at one, they are surely worth it. Especially, when considering other mothers in the world, have much worse heartache to handle.

Eid Greetings!

(Last Eid – October 2008)

Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating Eid Ul Adha. For many reasons, Eid seems somewhat more sad than joyous this year, I think it’s mostly the state of the world. Anyway, for those celebrating Eid, I hope you have a great day, and may Allah accept your fasts and prayers. For those of you not celebrating, I hope you have a great day as well!

Speedlinking & such

Could someone make this and deliver it to me? Please?

I am somewhat fascinated with this apple pie!

I generally don’t wrap presents, but not because I don’t like to, it’s because 1) I have very little time, and 2) I really detest generic wrapping paper. I think this wrapping idea is totally cute.

And while on the topic of presents, if you’re giving gifts this season, you may want to consider some “alternative” gifts. Check out Redefine Christmas, Change The Present (I really like this idea!), and Just Give – and even if you’re not giving presents, you can still make a donation.

Finally, just because… this post was extremely touching.

And a reminder, this software giveaway is still open – it’s great if you have a lot of photos, videos, music, and a PC!

Love Thursday & things that made me weep

Or, on love and pain…

Often I find myself wondering why love is so powerful. How it manages to make us feel every possible emotion all at once. But mostly how empty we feel without it.

Some days I wake up with headaches so bad that I wonder if I even slept at all. Most of those days I lay in bed pondering the point of my life, but I almost always find something waiting for me that confirms what I already know is true, that there is a larger purpose to life, that my hardship is a test, and that love, no matter how painful, seems to be worth it.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a very unexpected email. I’ll share some of it with you…

I also wanted to say that your post today about being kind to people – I loved it. I realized that my empathy/sympathy/kindness/compassion levels are at its most acute when I feel pain myself; I guess then I project the kindness I wish I was receiving… or something like that…

I also wanted to say – even though we’re not in contact, or friends, or even email buddies. I love your blog, I make duah for you, and my mom, who is on hajj at the moment, has a list of names for duahs I requested her to make on my behalf (I don’t even know if that’s permissible; well, the duas will come from her anyway, so that’s also okay!), and know that your name is being called out in the holy city. Just because…

And I cried. Because somehow someone who doesn’t even know me is praying for me while on hajj.

I thanked her for her duas, and then she floored me with her beautiful words. I got her permission to share them with you…

Now you’ve gone and made me cry

Kheir, dear. If we can recognize our tests for what they are, that in itself is a blessing. I pray you derive the wisdom, strength, beauty and growth from your experience, and your new journey. Inshallah.

Yeah, life is complicated. Each and everyone of us are complicated. It’s there just beneath the veneer of ‘normality’ – our true roughed up selves.
(There’s that Jack Nicholson movie called ‘As Good As It Gets’ where one character says she just wants ‘normal’, and her eavesdropping mother in all her wisdom interrupts her by shouting “It doesn’t exist!”)

It takes courage to be honest/truthful with ourselves, to stop ignoring our true voices, to live our lives with integrity. Alhamdulillah that He has given you the chance to do that. But you know this.

And He knows, and we do not.

And there’s beauty in our pain, isn’t there? The way it can soften/toughen us in turns, the way it makes us seek Him, the way it makes us feel like a child again for His love, affection, pleasure, approval, the way it makes us depend on Him… The way it can open our eyes to the Truth.

Surely only love can make us want to prayer for people that we’ve never met, only love can make us want justice for strangers suffering unfairly, only love can make us see beauty in things that on the surface look completely disastrous.

Happy Love Thursday

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

I saw this on an email forward and I immediately identified with it.

Once upon a time, I was really scared that I was bipolar. Well, I was scared that there was something really wrong with me, mentally. Like, if I was happy, I would be almost manic, I didn’t get sad, I got panic attacks, I didn’t get angry, I got enraged. Sometimes I felt like I was not really living my life but watching someone else live it for me. Sometimes I had no idea who I was.

I’ve since figured out what was wrong with me. Thankfully I do not have a metal problem, I had an emotional problem. I am now a different person than I was a year ago – completely different, and now I actually feel like myself, like I am the one living my life.

Anyway, there were times in my life I would get super pissed at any little thing, like a cashier being rude (in my opinion at least), but now, I’ve realized that, indeed, we are all fighting some battle. And being kind to someone sometimes makes the biggest difference in their life, or at least, their day. It also makes us feel much better. Try it!