Chillin' with the Birds on a Somber Afternoon

I've had pets of one kind or another throughout my life...the first being a beautiful grey kitten named Smokey. Then came along Suki, Peanut, Skeeter, Benji, Tracy, a second generation Benji and Tracy, Lacy, Charlie, King, and Kong, Myrtle, Blaze, Christy, Dancer, and Tigger...and I'm sure I've missed a few! *lol* But of all the animals I've had, from cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, horses, turtles, and even a squirrel, I've never had, but have always been fascinated by talking birds. I've known a few people over the years with birds that could talk, and have recently become keen to have one I could teach English to in order to have someone else to talk with besides my husband! *just kidding!!* So, anyhow, yesterday afternoon I was wandering around the souk and came upon a little shop where I stopped to hang out with the birds. The guy on the right (picture above), was absolutely entertaining...or that is...entertained with himself! *lol* This bird was just whistling up a storm, every kind of whistle you could imagine, and non-stop at that! I couldn't help but chuckle as I stood watching and listening...this, of course, peeking my interest once again in becoming a bird owner. *smile* But...for as much as I yearn in my heart to have a pet in my life again...the pain of the loss I felt when my last pet fell ill and had to be put to sleep...well...was just about more than I could take...and I just don't know if I can bring myself to subject my heart to that again... Owning a pet is a big responsibility...and my last experience showed me particularly, that if your life/living situation isn't stable, you shouldn't try to bring a pet into your home. It's not fair to the animal...and in the end only leads to heart-break. So, even though contemplating pet ownership again has been on my mind the last few days...I know it's not the best idea right now...and what makes the longing sort of worse is...every time I go outside I see cats...but there's not a single one that you could pick up and cuddle, because they're just 'yard' cats. Sad, it is. Just sad. Okay, time to take my melancholy self on off to bed. Besides, Windows is trying to install an update and I keep getting this little pop-up window telling me that in order to complete the installation Windows will be restarted in 4 minutes and 59 seconds...to which you can click on the "restart now' button or the "restart later" button. Well...I've come to know, after clicking on "restart later" about a dozen times, that "later" is only like...five minutes! Annoying darn thing...later means LATER darn it! *lol* Alright...catchy'all later...

Scenes from an Afternoon Walk...(12/13/05)

I ventured out after Asr today on a quest to find a few items from a short mental list, and in keeping with my decision to turn left instead of right this trip *smile* I found myself in a bustling little neighborhood surrounded by small vegetable and fruit stands, bakeries, grocery stores, butcher markets, and a series of little walk-up restaurants (a/k/a a local souk!). It was such a nice afternoon, the weather amazing considering that it is mid-December; you don't even have to wear a sweater outside yet! Subhan'Allah. There were only a few things remaining on my shopping list when the adhan for Maghrib sounded. Deciding to scout out a masjid instead of waiting until I returned to the apartment for salat, I stopped to surmise my surroundings. One of the nice things about living in a country where Islam is the predominantly practiced religion is that you don't have to look too far to find a masjid! Al-hamdulillah! Turning to my left and then to my right, within eyesight of either direction I found the familiar minaret, the only thing left to do was make a decision as to which direction to walk. I started out the afternoon's adventure with a left turn, so it just somehow made sense to continue left. What I found inside the masjid was such a nice surprise, so much so that I just had to snap a few photos. I've been in many a masjid with tile lined walls, but the walls and ceilings of the entire three floors of this masjid were hand painted. It was simply beautiful. I hope you enjoy the pictures, insha'Allah.

Here's a Bright Idea...

Go to Yahoo or Google (whatever your favorite search engine might be) and type in the search box "*your name* Needs" ... the quotation marks are important because they make it an exact match. For instance, since I'm Aishah I'll type in: "Aishah Needs" Pick your 3 best results and enter them in the "comment" section. I think the name "Aishah" made my list short...there were only four results in the search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Aishah+needs%22 Here are my three: (1) Aishah needs to buck up! (2) Aishah needs some friends! (3) Aishah needs me to be able to run around with her! Okay...this is what I do in Egypt on a boring Sunday night, as I sit closed up in my room because the main part of the apartment is filled with people speaking Arabic and I don't...sweet relief...it's a good excuse to not have to *visit* for five hours! *lol*

What Are You Grateful For Today? (12/07/05)

Al-hamdulillah for new slippers! *smile* My dear sweet mother-in-law knitted these and presented them to me today! Awww...aren't they cute?! Now my toes are snug and warm! Thanks Mom! I'm also grateful today in knowing that my adopted daughter, Hanane, is on her way to Colorado with her husband to start a new and fresh chapter in their lives. I pray Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows their safe journey as they will be on the road for about four days, and I pray that the new opportunities they will find in Colorado will breathe new vitality into their relationship, and that all things good will be facilitated for them wish ease. Above all I wish for them peace and happiness in this life and in Jannah. Ameen. I love you for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala my daughter. ~Mum

The HollyDazzle Day

By: Pamela K. Taylor Okay, this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard... Newport News, Virginia, is getting ready for their annual Christmas celebration, except they aren't calling it that. They're calling it "Hollydazzle". And instead of lighting the Christmas tree, they'll be lighting the "Tree of Illumination." Who do they think they are fooling? Does anyone really imagine that American Jews drape their menorahs with holly garlands during Hanukkah? Or that Muslims put up trees (of illumination or any other sort) to celebrate Eid? Or maybe that Hindus hang ornaments off the many arms of Kali each December? Of course not! And when all the folks gather around the tree down in Newport News, waiting for the firemen to light it up, will any of them really think how beautiful the Multi-faith Tree of Illumination is going to be? Heck, no! Christmas trees are Christmas trees; celebrations where you light trees are celebrations of Christmas. Changing the name doesn't change the nature of what you are doing; it just makes a mockery of multiculturalism and the separation of church and state. The government should either get out of the business of holiday celebrations or they should practice true multiculturalism. Since the vast majority of Americans do not want the government to stop celebrating events important to their lives -- even my atheist friends and family celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter -- the solution, clearly, is not to eliminate holidays, but to have public celebrations that actually include other faiths. Pretending that Christian traditions can be universal under a different name won’t pass the muster. It offends Christians, who rightfully do not want their holidays watered down into some meaningless, politically correct verbiage. And it offends non-Christians because such renaming is clearly nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by some to maintain the status quo – that is to have the government continue celebrating Christmas and acting as though Christianity were the state religion, just disguising it under obfuscating titles. True multiculturalism is welcoming many different celebrations, customs, and holidays. It’s lighting a Christmas Tree one week, and lighting a Menorah the next. It’s hanging Ramadan lanterns in October and Christmas decorations in December. Some public institutions are already doing this. My children's elementary school, for instance, had winter holiday parties that were truly celebrations of winter traditions. The walls of the school were decorated with posters depicting Divali, Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr (which at the time fell near Christmas), Chinese New Year, Kwanza, Hanukkah, and various incarnations of Christmas. The parties often included songs, games, or crafts from different cultures. Children were invited to talk about their own celebrations. Our federal government has demonstrated another model – maintaining Christian traditions, while adding celebrations of other faiths to the calendar. The President still lights the National Christmas Tree, and the White House still boasts the largest wreath in Washington DC. But the President also hosts an annual Ramadan Iftar – the dinner to break fast. During Hanukkah, the White House displays a Menorah and hosts lighting ceremonies. He sends greetings to the Chinese community on Chinese New Year, and the African American community on Kwanza. That is the way government celebrations should be handled – with acknowledgement of the diversity that makes this country vibrant, and with respect for the principle that the government should not prefer one religion to another. Whether it is in one unified celebration that incorporates aspects of many faiths, or in a multiplication of celebrations doesn’t really matter so long as it is a substantive move towards inclusiveness. Lip service – coming up with feel-good names that fool nobody, and don’t please anybody – simply isn’t good enough. Copyright @ 2005, Pamela K. Taylor Pamela K. Taylor has been writing since childhood. While she makes a living free-lancing, editing, and writing copy, her first love is fiction, particularly science fiction. She is currently shopping her first novel, Beyond the Pleiades, and simultaneously working on four more. She also serves as Publications Officer and Acting Director of Islamic Writer's Alliance. Visit Pamela K. Taylor on the web at www.pktaylor.com or www.pktaylor.com/pksblog/warpedgalaxies.html Author's Biography: http://www.islamicwritersalliance.net/Fullbios/Taylor.html Direct Link to Article: http://www.pktaylor.com/pksblog/2005/12/hollydazzle-day.html

Doing A Good Deed Amounts to Charity

On the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari who reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Sadaqah (alms) is enjoined on every Muslim." They (the people) said, "Suppose one cannot afford it?' He said, "He should work with his hands so that he may benefit himself and give in charity." They said, "If he cannot work or does not work?" He said, "Then he should help the oppressed unhappy person (by word or action or both)." They said, "If he does not do it?" He said, "Then he should enjoin what is good." They said, "If he does not do that?'' He said, "Then he should refrain from doing evil, for that will be considered for Him as a Sadaqah (charity)." (Reported by Imam Al-Bukhari Hadith no. 6022 and by Imam Muslim Hadith no. 1008)

• The phrase “charity is incumbent on every Muslim” does not signify that giving charity is obligatory, rather it is, according to the unanimous agreement of scholars, a merit that every Muslim is encouraged to foster. Charity originlly signifies giving out of one’s property or money voluntarily. The obligatory Zakah can also be termed as Sadaqah (charity), to show that each giver of Zakah should be keen to achieve Sidq (truthfulness) when giving Zakah.
• This Hadith states that every good deed or word is counted as a charity. Likewise, abstaining from doing evil is counted as a charity.
• The Hadith also urges Muslims to work and earn lawfully, in order to have money from which one can give charity and save himself the humiliation caused by begging.
• The Hadith urges Muslims to do good according to their means; if a certain good deed is difficult to achieve, one can turn to that which is easier for him.

http://www.qurancomplex.com/Magazine/default.asp?L=eng&t=TodayHad

There's no place like home...

I came across this image of a painting that reminded me so much of home...especially during this time of year, that I just couldn't help feeling compelled to share it with you! I was born and raised in Michigan, and spent many of those years living in the countryside of a small town. I remember many a winter day and scenes like the one depicted in this painting that reminded me so much of home... The house that we lived in was on lake front property, surrounded by woods and a wide variety of wildlife. I used to ride my horse on the winding trails of the surrounding area and I remember a stream similar to the one depicted in the painting. It was nice to be momentarily carried back to a place in time that seems now so far away, and the memory of moments where I experienced serenity much like that captured in this wonderful painting. Sunrise Splendor Observing the beauty of Yellowstone [National Park of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, USA] unfolding in the early morning glow, sunshine warming last night's extremely heavy frost is a sight few are privileged to see.

And the lights went out!

Okay, like it is 1:21 am Saturday morning here in Egypt. I have been working diligently on trying to get caught up on S4D new member introductions. In the background I've been watching a movie on cable. I'm about to finish the last introduction. The movie is in its, like, last, maybe 2 minutes. and the electricity goes out!!!! Hello!!!! Wait just a minute!!! That's not even nice!!! GRRRRRR!!!! So, two minutes into the next movie, opening credits still running... the electricity comes back. The good news is...the last new member intro has been sent out!!! I am caught up!!! Wahoo!! Yippee!! Hooray!