Tucson tragedy
It’s really hard to find words to write and talk about this horror and the lost baby-girl.
My prayer is that the family is comforted somehow through their faith, and I pray they have faith.
My prayer is that their family and friends shield them as much as possible.
It’s very difficult to see your child’s picture on TV and all over the newspapers. It’s hard to know your tragedy is the hot things in the news for the moment.
I can’t even begin to imagine or think about the funeral “protest”… This world lacks a lot – especially empathy.
Bad things happen
You might have heard about the recent Houston Chase Bank robbery in which hostages were held for several hours. Probably because I had recently watched The Kill Point mini-series on Netflix which is about such a situation (and is a thrilling mini-series)…. Read more…
25 in 2011
Who needs a good-intentioned but short-lived New Year’s resolution (right?!) when instead you can have a goal that is purposely designed to take you the entire year to accomplish! If you like to Read more…
… And out with a bang!
Yeah, literally, bangs! Thank you Julia R. at Hairitics for hooking me up. My hair feels and looks great! (Gee, if I do say so myself.) I’d been wanting to do this for a long time now, and finally just did it.
I have had absolutely nothing and still have nothing profound and thoughtful to write, which is why I’ve been MIA. So, today, I resorted to these few pics to close out the year and to just say hello to you. And that’s about all I can manage!
Not a word
So many people have talked to us about what happened. And they are hard conversations.
Then there are those who have said nothing. Not a word. People we see quite often and without a doubt know what happened. Not a word. No acknowledgment.
It makes me very angry. Can you not acknowledge that our family isn’t complete and one of us that you used to see all the time isn’t here? I guess it’s too much to ask. Shame on you. Am I judging you? Abso-f-n-lutely.
I don’t care if you don’t know what to say. It’s not about what you say. It’s that you said something. Anything. Anything to acknowledge her.
Give twenty bucks to Year Up Chicago with just a few clicks!
The Microsoft Store is donating $20 to Year Up Chicago for each person who LIKES their store on Facebook from now until November 26th!
Please LIKE the so the Microsoft Store on Facebook at
http://apps.facebook.com/msstoregiving/
so this great organizaiton can benefit in
much-needed software to teach our students.
After LIKE’ing, select the Oakbrook, IL store and then choose Year Up Chicago.
And on behalf of Year Up Chicago students and staff, thank you!
And to learn more about Year Up, visit http://yearup.org.
It’s been awhile
I’m still around, holding on. Can’t believe it’s been 5 months. After realizing that, I had a pretty bad weekend last weekend which, of course, moved into the week. It just hit me hard that it has really been that long. Sometimes it feels like it’s been years; most days it feels like yesterday. Read more…
The Unfolding of Destiny
Below has helped me…. It’s a daily needed reminder for me.
It is incumbent upon all believers and all Muslims not to try to understand the causes of the unfolding of destiny. Whoever does this will become confused and will gain nothing but doubt. He may even lose his faith. The faithful must believe in Allah’s absolute wisdom. Everything that man sees happening in himself and in the world certainly has a cause, but that cause is not to be understood by human logic, as it is based on divine wisdom. In the life of this world, when you encounter blasphemy, hypocrisy, duplicity and all other things that seem to be evil, let these thing not shake your faith. Know that Allah Most High in His absolute wisdom is responsible for all and everything, and He does what appears to be negative in order to express His infinite power. Manifestation of such overwhelming power may seem to some unbearable, and therefore negative, but there is great mystery in this that no one other than the Prophecy could know.
From The Secrets of Secrets by Hadrat Abdul-Qadir Al-Jilani
A Better Question
How many times have I asked my kids “How was school today?” And, you don’t even need to know my kids to know what their answer is every, single time! “Fine.” I inevitably respond, “Just fine?” And they answer “Yep.”
Well, for quite a while now, I’ve changed-up my question which gives them little-to-zero opportunity to pull a one word answer.
“What was your favorite part of your day?“
Try it. I can guarantee you’re going to learn something about them that you didn’t know before!
(And, yes, they can still one-word answer with a “nothing,” but I’ve honestly never had them do that!)
(Oh, and it will work on your spouse too…. If you dare.)
Hungry? OK, but first you have to…
The quick (and unbiased) synopsis of this recent story in The NY Times is that homeless and needy folks in NYC are required to sit through a sermon in order to receive groceries donated by Trader Joe’s. Only the first 50 people will get in, and while they listen to Rev. Bill Jones’ sermon, volunteers fill their carts with bread, produce, and eggs. “People are not only hungry for food, but hungry for the word of God,” Mr. Jones said. “There’s not just a physical need but a spiritual need.”
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Exams
Due to recent events, which I previously alluded to and will explain in much greater detail at some later date, I studied and passed one of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams and thought it might be helpful to document just how I did it. If you are in the market to add a Microsoft certification to your resume and are proficient in Office applications, this is the certification for you. Let me give you the nitty-gritty…. Read more…
Reaffirmation
It’s clear that I’m too concerned with what others think. And by others I mean people I don’t even know or know all that well. I feel like if I’m ever positive and have a smile on my face, people think How could she smile? How can she act like everything is OK?
Too many people have commented on my ‘strength.’ I’d like to think that they mean well, but it feels like they are really just questioning my behavior because if it were them, they wouldn’t get out of bed or wouldn’t function and live.
Back to sentence one! I need to keep reminding myself of this.
To begin with, the people who know me, and, thus the ones who matter to me, know our struggle and the ups and downs of our days. They know my love for my daughter and my heartbreak and deep grief. I have nothing to prove. Without a doubt, time is helping.
And the people I don’t know – or maybe some I do know – who may think I should ball up in a corner and not function have it all wrong. Sadly, they must have no faith in God.
It is, in fact, my faith that is a vivid light shining at the end of this deep, dark tunnel because I know she is in an absoleute paradise and I will see her again. God has other things in store for me and my life is not over, and, when it is, I know she’ll greet me. I hear her telling me “See Mom? I’m OK.”
On a scale of 1 to 10…
Today was an overall good day – maybe even a 6 or 7. The first in many weeks actually for several reasons – Here they are – The kids were almost-on-time for school, I passed an exam (more on that later), dropped by school to get my college transcripts which went surprisingly smooth and quick, had a quick healthy McDonalds half-lunch of fruit salad and iced tea, surprised the boys with yummy-McFlurry after-school treats, went grocery shopping, and now on the couch comfortably wrapping some work up.
It’s one of the most productive days I’ve had in a long time and has left me feeling positive and lighthearted. Perhaps God knew how much I needed a day like this to lift my spirits and thoughts. For this, I am thankful!
Good-for-a-Chuckle Commercial
Innovative product. Got to give them that. But this commercial! Even the Education Connection commercial is better. See for yourself…
Reverend Lindsay’s Message on Tolerance
Are you concerned about the current tolerance-temperature in the US? I know you are, so will you watch this 10 minute clip? It is worth your time and will encourage you in resisting the media-driven fear and suspicion, God-willing.
As always, I’m interested in your thoughts on it.
- As a non-Muslim, are you working to understand and build bridges with Islam and the Muslims you may know? Or are you fearful and avoiding?
- As a Muslim, are you allowing the voice of a minority drive your opinions on your Christian neighbors?
The clip is from the Sunday, August 29 service at the
First Community Church in Columbus, Ohio
with Rev. Deborah C. Lindsay.
Recipe: Egg and Toast Cups
Credit is due to the Everday Food monthly magazine for this easy egg-licious breakfast of Egg & Toast Cups. It’s an easy recipe to change-up if you’d like – add almost crisp turkey bacon before you crack the eggs or add a bit of shredded cheese to the top – but the recipe as-is received rave reviews from a varied audience, including a rather picky husband and several pancake loving kids. Read more…
That’s not nice!
Have you seen that TV show What Would You Do where ordinary people’s reactions are tested in manufactured situations, such as blatant racism shown to minority customers in a take-out place and an obnoxious mom and young daughter loudly belittling a horrified, embarrassed nanny? More times than not, and maybe due to editing, people… Read more…
Moving
It’s not about moving on because I can’t and never will, it’s about just moving, and hopefully forward not back. It’s very difficult to make future plans because the guilt feels as heavy as stepping in wet cement up to your knees. And guilt is a completely useless emotion; this I recognize. It doesn’t matter how hard I cry or how angry I get, nothing will have changed. I’m stuck between the logic of believing that and the pure emotion of sadness… One of these days I’ll have a happier post. And this post definitely goes in the category of Random.
Learn more about Islam
If you have questions about Islam and want to know more, please visit The Religion of Islam. I’ve referenced it before on an article about grief. We can’t Read more…
Mama I’m Waiting for you in Jannah
I’ve been writing this post in my head for a few weeks now wanting to write exactly the right words when introducing the link below, but I’ve finally come to the conclusion that 1. it will take me months more to find those words and 2. I want to share this now not later. Another Read more…
