Category: From the heart

Am I alone?

PROMPT #231

“I ask you for two minutes of your valuable time. Listen to the poem in this insightful video.”

I await your reflections on whatever thoughts arise in you.

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Being alone is different from loneliness

I am never lonely, because I’m always with myself

But being alone is a state that I cherish sometimes

At times, company is good, and family or friends welcomed

But then too much noise, too much hustle-bustle

Makes me crave a bit of solitude and a bit of quietude

Where I can hear myself think

Where my heart, my soul talks to my Creator

If I don’t get my much-desired me-time, I make it for myself

By sitting alone in the quiet of the night and thinking, deep thoughts!

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Written for RXC # 231, hosted by Reena

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Faith

All through my life, 
There’s been one guiding light
That showed me the way
Through all the strife 
My faith
It supported me when I was faltering 
It bolstered my confidence when it was shaky
It lit up the path I needed to take in the dark 
Where would I be
Without my faith, my guiding light?

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Written for; Weekly Prompt –Guiding Light – May 10, 2022

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Carrying forward with poetry

Selma Martin shared a poem today which she had written taking the last line of another poem. She has invited us to do the same. Here’s the last line from her poem, ‘I Feel Adored’

In perfect accord
In perfect accord

Feelings of affection exist 
With the surrender of love

In perfect accord

Trust exists with friendship 
Truth exists with acceptance 

In perfect accord

Faith exists with surrender 
To the will of the creator 

In perfect accord 

Life needs to coexist 
All creatures small and big

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Portrait of a mom

May 9, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a mom selfie — a story that creates an image of a mom. No one mom looks alike or fits a maternal mold. Who is she? Go where the prompt leads

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I am a mom of three and a grandmother to three. I’m not a perfect mother, no one is. But I do try. I often make mistakes and forget things that I ought to remember but I do try.

I gave up my career so that I could be a full-time mom. I did what all mothers do to make sure that the children are well looked after.

My children love me but they aren’t very demonstrative. That’s why when they do something like this I am so pleased.

A customized poem and hand-painted dupatta to show her love.

Word count; 99

Written for Carrot Ranch’s prompt- Mom selfie, hosted by Charli Mills

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A thousand desires…..

My father was a great fan of Urdu poetry. He had collections of Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, and many other Urdu poets. There was a couplet he was very fond to reciting to us when we asked for something that was out of his purchasing power;

hazaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle

buhat niklay mery arman lekin phir bhi kam niklay

(ہَزاروں خَواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خَواہش پہ دَم نکِلے

بُہت نکِلے میرے اَرمان لیکن پھر بھی کم نکِلے)

Roughly translated/ paraphrased, it goes like this;

In life there are thousands of desires, each demanding a sacrifice

Many of my wishes were fulfilled, yet too many left unfulfilled

At first, he had to explain the meaning of these lines to us and later whenever we made an outrageous request, he would recite only the first line and we got the message.

All his life, he was in government service and had a lot of power during his tenure, but being scrupulously honest we had a very simple lifestyle. We never went without necessities but had very few luxuries. But he taught us that honesty was way more important than having material things.

Written for Linda’s SoCS- A phrase I grew up with.

Your prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “a phrase you grew up with.” Include in your post a phrase your mom/dad/grandparent/sibling used all the time when you were growing up, or just write whatever inspires you based on that phrase. Enjoy!

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It’s Eid today!

After the month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast for the entire month, the first day of Shawal is celebrated as Eid-up-Fitr.

It’s a festival that Muslims celebrate all over the world. The day Eid falls is different for people from different regions because it depends on the sighting of the moon. It

Today, it’s Eid in my part of the world. We will meet family, friends and extended family too. Have a meal together and exchange gifts.

This means that I’ll be away from my blog most of the day. Will try to catch up with you all as soon as I can.

A very happy Eid to all my Muslim readers.

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#EidMubarak

A to Z challenge Z for Zakat

Personal experiences, incidents and smiles

Zakat is the 4th pillar of Islamic faith.

As one of the pillars of Islam, zakat is a form of obligatory charity that has the potential to ease the suffering of millions. Zakat is calculated on annual savings and 2.5% of which is given in charity.

“And establish prayer and give zakat, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves – you will find it with Allah.” (2:110, Qur’an)

With the literal meaning of the word being ‘to cleanse,’ Muslims believe that paying zakat purifies, increases and blesses the remainder of their wealth.

Zakat is also a spiritual connection to one’s maker – to purify your wealth for the will of Allah is to acknowledge that everything we own belongs to Him, and it is for Him that we strive to end poverty and help our brothers and sisters.

Zakat is paid to deserving people so that there is equitable distribution of wealth in the society. Ideally, a Muslim society should be free from poverty and Zakat helps us to achieve this target.

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A to Z challenge: A For Awesome people

Personal experiences, incidents and smiles

This post is dedicated to all the awesome people who have brought joy to my life.

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I’ll start with my parents, grandparents, without whom I’m nothing

Then my dear friends who gave me the gift of friendship and acceptance

I have to mention my teachers and mentors who taught me the ways of life

I have to thank life itself too as it was my biggest teacher

My husband who stood by me through thick and thin, steadfast

My amazing children who are my pride and joy every day

The delight of my heart my grandchildren who can make me laugh and cry with joy

And last but not least, my awesome blogging friends who are more like a family to me

No person goes through the journey of life alone

All through the way we are touched by numerous people

And all through this journey we touch many, many people

Live life in a generous manner, leaving good memories behind you.

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Who are the awesome people in your life? Please share.

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#AtoZChallenge

Mothers are unique

“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands.” ~ Milton Berle.

This weekend, partner GC and I give you the challenge word Mother.

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When a woman becomes a mother
She is blessed with unique attributes 
Her emotional strength outweighs 
The challenges that she faces
Like a superhero she can tackle 
Every chore and task unflinchingly 
It’s hard to put it in mere words 
The appreciation and regard I feel
For mothers all over the world 
In all times, past and present 
It suffices to just say
Mothers are unique, loveliest of God’s creations

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Written for;Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Mother, hosted by Sue W and GC

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