Going Home

A pastor was going to lead a choir on a cross country singing tour.
Since it was during the school holidays, his wife and him decided to take their 5 years old daughter with them.
On the eve of returning home after a week's performance, the pastor asked the little girl: 'Which do you like more? Travelling or going home?"
"Going home, of course." the daughter said without a moment's hesitation.
"In that case, we will not take you with us on our next trip" teased the pastor.
"But Daddy, I like going home. How can I go home unless you take me on a trip first."
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The same is true in life. There will always be confusion before awakening and a wound before there can be healing. He who has never left home will never know the joy of coming returning home.

Enjoy the Day

There was once a man who lived in a house with the back facing a golf course.
Friends asked him why there were no windows at the back of the house.
For security, he said.
Then, he explained : How many times do you actually sit on the balcony at the back of the house and watch the greens, the monkeys and the birds.

The question hit the nail on the head.

How many times? Hardly ever. So, we blocked out the beauty that God has given us because we have no time. We are always doing things on the run. And even when we lie on the bed , the hundreds of things that we think are important to us runs in our head.

It is when you have no time left and when you are sick or dying that you wonder : Why did I not slow down...

The lucky ones are those who learn to dance slow and take time to watch kids playing on the swings, and listen to the sound of rain falling on the ground. They would never want to be filled with hate, bitterness and ill will ever, more so when they reach the age of 59, 60, 65, 70 or 80..

From A Child's Mouth

A primary school teacher asked her students to write an essay about what they would like God to do for them. At the end of the day, while marking the essays, one made her very emotional.

Her husband, who had just walked in, saw her crying and asked 'What Happened?'
The teacher read the essay that had touched her heart loudly to her husband:

'Dear God, today I would like to request something very special. Please turn me into a television set. I want to take its place. I want to have a very special place in my house and have my family around me.

I want to be taken seriously when I talk, to be the center of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions. I want to receive the same special care the TV gets when it is not working. I want to have the company of my dad when he comes home from work, even when he is tired.

And I want my mom to want me when she is sad or upset, instead of ignoring me. I want my brothers to fight to be with me. I want to feel the family leaving everything aside , every now and then, just to spend some time with me.

And last but not least, please make it that I can make them all happy and entertain them. Dear God, I don't want to ask you for much..I just want to live like a television set.'

The husband was horrified and said: 'Poor kid! What horrible parents!'
The teacher cried harder and said: 'That essay belongs to our son..'

Homesick

How many of us can leave home and stay far away from their parents when they are only 5 years old? I know I wouldn't have that kind of courage..

At 30 I thought that I was way past that stage of feeling homesick but I was wrong. Recently, I had had to relocate because of a new job and I planned to rent a room on weekdays and only rush home for a visit on weekends. Little did I anticipate the feeling of homesickness would envelop me soon.

As I cleaned the rented room and unpack my things, I had to battle with my ambivalent feelings : between happiness to begin a new chapter in my life and the sadness of leaving home. The pouring rain outside the window did nothing to soothe my feelings. When the rain finally cleared later in the evening, the smell of a neighbour coking fried mee brought thoughts of mom's cooking and immediately the sense of sadness increased. How weird it was, as I had just said goodbye to her this morning.

As night approached, I began to have second thoughts about moving to this new place. Images of dad reading the newspaper and mom watching the television played in my mind. I would just give anything at that moment to be back at home. I wish I could say that things got much better the next few days. Instead my longing for home just grew stronger. I wonder why.

This was not the first time I lived far away from home. Neither was this my first experience at being alone. But then, why did my heart feels so heavy and why did I keep counting the hours till Friday?

It was then that I realised the true meaning of homesickness. It is when we are forced to do ordinary things in an unfamiliar setting. I have still to go to work, eat, have dinner and sleep the same as I did at home. However, without the familiarsettings: Family , friends and home. This is truly homesickness..

Have Fun

A marriage should be cherished with lots of fun and excitement.

Do NOT be too serious in everything. Even a long marriage should be accompanied with some fun. Ignore the empty and bored feelings. Bring excitement and enjoyment. Think of the ways to spend some quality time together.

Faith

The most basic and essential attribute of a Muslim marriage is the common faith that binds the couple. Since Islam is a way of life and not just a religion confined to weekly worship it becomes an integral part of a Muslim's life.

The frame of reference shared by the couple eases communication and sharing of values which is not possible in an interfaith marriage. It is highly recommended that faith play an important role in the developing a loving relationship.

As the Prophet Muhammad said, that even if a husband places a morsel of food in his wife's mouth, he gets a reward for this act and Allah increases the bond of love between them.

So when we love each other for the sake of Allah WE ACTUALLY INCREASE OUR FAITH.

Precious Time

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling 5 balls in the air.

They are: WORK, FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS and SPIRIT. You are trying to keep all 5 balls in the air and not let them fall down. Imagine WORK is a rubber ball. Never mind if you drop it because it will bounce back.

But the other 4 balls: WORK, FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS and SPIRIT are made of glass. If you dropped one of them, they might get scuffed,damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same balls again. That is what you must understand.

Thus..work efficiently during office hours and leave the office on time. Spend those precious hours with your family, friends and take good care of yourself. Rest properly and be happy

Family Values

Almost anything that a family does together -whether it is eating in a restaurant or camping, or going to church or hiking or bicycling- is worthwhile, because it promotes a family spirit. Children may resent at times that they cannot do what every other child on the block is doing. But, they gain the security of a family membership.

The civilizing of a child began when they know the meaning of restraints. If a child is to learn to be an adult, he has to begin by respecting the adults he knows best : his parents and grandparents. By learning to obey his father and mother, a child has the freedom within the boundaries they set for him to discover his own identity. By learning to respect other people's rights, a child gains his self confidence to claim as his own.

A Christmas Gift

On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket to buy the
remaining of the gift I didn't manage to buy earlier.

When I saw all the people there, I started to complain tomyself,"It is going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go.
Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year.How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it..."

Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really play with such expensive toys.

While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest. He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad. I wondered who was this doll for. Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him, "Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?"

The old lady replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear." Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked him who did he want to give this doll to.
"It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."

I replied to him that may be Santa Claus will bring it to her, after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly.

"No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there."

His eyes were so sad while saying this.

"My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to see God very soon, so I thought that she could bring the doll with her to give it to my sister."

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, "I told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back from the supermarket."

Marriage

Most people get married believing a myth.
They believe that marriage is a beautiful box that is full of all the things they have longed for: companionship, sexual fulfillment, intimacy and friendship.

The truth is that marriage at the start, is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take anything out. There is no love in marriage. Love is in people and people put it into marriage. There is no romance in marriage. People infuse it into their marriage.

A couple must learn the art and form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising, to keep the box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty.

I Owe You One

For 3 years Victor has been terribly sick. His arm was black and blue. He often passed out. His kidneys have failed and dialysis was not working. Victor was dying.

Tony, his brother, kept offering his kidney but Victor refused as he couldn't bear to think of his brother living with 1 kidney because of him. It took a long time to persuade Victor but finally he agreed.

Several times the brothers went to hospital but only to have the operation postponed because of Victor's infections. However, Tony never thought of backing out. After each disapointment, he announced: 'We are coming back!'. He even got Vincent a T-shirt that read 'I'M NO QUITTER!'

Finally, surgery was scheduled. The operation was harder on Tony. Doctors had to remove part of his ribs to get the kidney out. His recuperation took longer than Victor's and he had more pain.

Victor wrote: 'Because of Tony's unselfishness, I have a chance to see my four children grow up. I will never know my brother's pain, fears and feelings. All I know is the love we share. How can I tell him thanks? I can only tell everyone that I have the greatest brother in the world.'

Father's Day

Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school and she couldn't wait to go. However, her mummy tried to tell her that she probably should stay home. The other kids might not understand if she went to school alone. But she was not afraid: she knew just what to say.

The little girl went to school, eager to tell them all about a Dad she never sees and who never calls. When she reached school, there were daddies along the wall at the back of the class.Children were squirming impatiently in their seats to wait for their turn to introduce their daddy.

Seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name. Every child turned to stare at her. Each of them was searching for a man who wasn't there. "Where's her daddy" she heard a boy called out. And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say, "Looks like another deadbeat Dad, too busy to waste his day". The words did not offend her as she smiled at her friends. The teacher then told her to begin.

With hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak:
My Daddy couldn't be here because he lives so far away. But I know that he wishes he could be with me on this day. Though you couldn't meet him, I wanted you all to know all about my Daddy and how much he loves me so.
My Daddy loved to tell me stories and he was the one who taught me how to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses and taught me to fly a kite. We used to share fudge sundaes and ice cream in a cone. And though you can't see him, I am not standing all alone.
My Daddy is always with me even though we are far apart. I know this because he told me , he'll be forever with me in my heart."

Somewhere in the crowd, her mother stood in tears. She was proudly watching her daughter who was wise beyond her age. She had stood up for the love of a man who was not in her life.

Then the little girl stare straight into the crowd and finished her presentation in a voice so soft but the message was clear and loud:
I love my Daddy bery much as he is my shining star. If he could, he would have been here. But heaven is just too far. Sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he has never been away. Then she closed her eyes and saw him there that day.
"I know you are with me Daddy" she called out to the silence.

Family & Strangers

You don't love someone because they're beautiful. They're beautiful because you love them. It's true you don't know what you've got until it's gone, but it's also true you don't know what you've been missing until it arrives!!!

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye. But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?