Meal notes

I've missed doing my menu plans here, but don't you think I haven't been cooking!
I'm going to back track and note what we had this first week of Ramadan.
When you haven't eaten since before the crack of dawn, a proper meal is in order come sunset.  Thankfully my husband isn't too set in any traditional foods, so there's no pressure to create 'feasts' each night like many homes do.  We've been sticking with a main dish and either a salad or a veggie side dish.  I made a soup one day but no one ate from it.  Desserts aren't a problem, either, now that I have an eager 9yr old chef in the house!

Last Friday: Shakrieh (beef cubes in cooked yogurt with rice on side)

Saturday: Seasoned chicken and veggies in an oven bag.

Sunday:  Salad, I can't remember the main dish

Monday:  Spaghetti and Sauce

Tuesday:  Hamburgers

Wednesday:  Leftover spaghetti, macaroni with behamel, leftovers

Thursday:  Musa'ka

Friday:  More Musa'aka, rice, and a salad.

Ramadan is here

Ramadan started a week ago today.  What a great month it is; great meaning it is full of blessings, forgiveness, renewal, prayer, control, and bonding.  When we think it is so hard to fast from dawn to sunset, we remember those less fortunate.  Families of my friends are in Syria right now sleeping in their hallways because snipers are shooting randomly into homes.  Sick soldiers are going home by home terrorizing the men, women, and little ones, slaughtering them after torturing them for no good reason.  Muslims there are fasting, their food supplies running low and their cash supply dwindling every day.

Fasting is like a big brother taking you by your shoulders and shaking you telling you to snap out of it (whatever 'it' might be for you).  You don't realize what you've got until that basic need (food and drink) is taken away from you for a few hours for you to realize what you have to be thankful for.  I made a funny comparison the other day.  Sometimes my kids gets caught up in a certain computer game or XBox game, and I find them sneaking a few extra minutes here and there when they think I'm not paying attention.  Or they forget all about our rules and play without eating breakfast, getting dressed, and doing the stuff I like them to do in the morning.  When they've reached that point in the past, they've been grounded from the game for a while to get it out of their system and out of their routine.  During their grounded time they come up with stuff to do!  They make up new games, draw, talk to each other.  They see other things they can fill their time with.  That's how I feel fasting is for us during the day.  Like we've been grounded from the thing we are fixated with (filling our bellies, feeling good about it, etc..).  And that gives me the opportunity to reflect on so much more out there that will hopefully lead me to a better spiritual self.

"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

Encouragement

I'm not so good at organizing my thoughts into words.  I often have so many things I want to blog about, but when I sit down to type it out the words just don't come together like I am thinking them.

I realized after looking at some old blog entries of mine that this blog does actually serve at least one purpose; it give me glimpses of days gone by.  And I remember those moments and smile because I'm happy to have lived them (and lived through them!).  And in a way, those old blog posts are little encouragements for me to keep on. 

As humans, we are weak.  Allah, our creator, reminds us of this in the Quran, but He follows it up with a way to get out of being in a state of loss.  It's by having patience and by doing good deeds.  Doing good deeds might not be so hard because it is an outward act, but having patience is harder because it involves one's will and inner self.

I realized that I crave more enouragement and look for it from others.  I need to hear over and over what a blessing the children are, how our efforts with them are for a purpose, and most of all how other Muslim moms and dads find comfort in practicing Islam in our day to day.  Sadly, it's not a commonly voiced sentiment in our circles.  We praise God every other word, practically, by saying such praises such as "Masha'Allah", "SubhanAllah", and "Alhamdulilaah", and I do believe those are sincere.  What is lacking to me is that spark of joy that glints in the eye and that tone in the voice that sounds like a song.  I shouldn't compare my life to what is shown on TV or what the Duggar family represents on their show or blog... those are all edited, tweaked, and prepared ahead of time.  But it is so nice to read from their blog (or watch a show) and see that joy and positive attitude from the family.  That is encouraging to me, and that's what lead me to this blog post today.  I can try to be that positive influence to others, and in the meantime I pray that someone can be that for me.