Yikes!

Not really a believer in creepy Halloween crap...

but today kind of sucked.

I started out by slipping in the shower and ramming my foot onto the fixture that closes off the drain. That was a nasty gash. Bloody foot!

So I was late for work trying to clean up that mess.

They had some lunch thing going on at work. I was walking around the building with my coworker. Some freak in a costume was following right behind me, breathing heavy. I still don't know who the heck it was, the freak! It gave me the creeps.

Then some unnamed coworker tattled on me for something I didn't even do! I hate that, because I get questioned like I'm a criminal and I didn't do anything wrong. I was helping someone, and I got accused of coming back from break late. People have nothing better to do than watch everyone else. I work with a bunch of spies! They have nothing better to do than tattle on others. Some days I don't know how I make it from day to day.

Allah be with me. I need to find a new job.

The Thing About Helping Others

There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to helping other people. I often lose track of some of these things, especially one, very important thing:

I can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped.

I often lose sight of this. Sometimes I think I can help everyone. It is very often that I exhaust myself trying to help another, when I realize, they don't want help. They SAY they want help, but they really don't. They complain and complain about their situations, but the minute you make any suggestions for improvement, they make excuses why nothing will work to make it better.

Does this mean I won't ever help someone again? Of course not. I just need to learn how to decipher whether they really want help or not.

Dear Friend

This post is for you!

We had such a nice talk on the phone the other evening. I haven't seen you in a while and I miss you so much. You inspired me so much with some of the things you were telling me. After we got off the phone I remembered how much fun we used to have together. I was laughing by myself.

I would just like to remind you of a certain shopping trip we took. Details aren't necessary. I'm sure you'll never forget what happened that day at Steve and Barry's, I know I won't.

Remember When...

Remember when you were a Christian? If you could even call yourself that. Remember when you only asked God for help when you were in immediate need of a miracle? Remember how you used to pray, "Oh please God help me through this, if you help me through this I will never do such-and-such again!" And because you got through whatever it was you forgot what you promised to God and did such-and-such again. After all when you need God he will be there to get you out of a scrape. You really didn't have to work for it either. You didn't go to church, you didn't pray daily, you made a lot of troublesome decisions, you never asked for forgiveness. You were certain that God would be there as needed.

Remember that?

It seems like an entirely different life to me. And when my Iman is low I have to remember that life. Now I am a Muslim. Allah is with me every day. Allah is a part of everything I do. I make dua when I get into my car, when I enter the house, and many other things throughout the day. I mention Allah throughout the day because that is who makes my every day possible. I pray at least 5 times a day to Allah. Whether I have done something I regret, or just because. I praise Allah at least 5 times a day with those prayers, and I have the opportunity to make the best of my prayers. I work to please Allah. I realize that EVERYTHING is a miracle from Allah. I still make troublesome decisions, but I try my best not to repeat and ask for sincere forgiveness. Allah is here with me through all that is good and bad.

Coming out of this past Ramadan I have a better sense of self as a Muslim woman in this world. Allah hears me. I may not get everything I want. The things I want that I do get, may not be when I wanted them. Everything happens for a reason. I just have to wait through for a little while to see what the reason is. Alhamdulilah, I wouldn't have it any other way.

364 Days.......

Until the next pretzel day.

Busy, Busy, Bee

That's me!

I can't believe I have that much of a life that I don't have time for blogging! I don't even get to check my email every day! Work, Ramadan, a new roomie... doesn't leave time for much else. There's not even much to write now. I've been running around helping little miss roomie out with things. She hasn't been to Minnesota in years and she doesn't know the Northern suburbs. So we've been driving here and there; acquainting her with the area.

I will say this though...
It is good having a roommate. People keep asking if I think I will have a problem living with her. My response: We lived in a dorm room, a DORM room! We didn't have separate bedrooms or much space. If we could get along in a dorm room, we can certainly make things work in a 2 bedroom apartment. We're like 2 peas in pod actually. Her and I are about equal in "weirdness".

Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Campbell's has nothing on me!

I learned something new this evening. I learned how to make the soup that most Moroccans eat during Ramadan called Harira. Half the fun was that my friend had never made it either. So, with a little direction from her husband we managed pretty well. It turned out yummaliciously (new word). We learned too! Yay a new recipe! Soups are good.

Aside from that it was a pretty uneventful day. We did go to the coffee house and play cards. We were a little obnoxious, we played "slap jack". I haven't played that since I was little. If you don't know how to play you should learn. It's good, clean fun!

My Absence

October has come and with it, many new things. I have been rearranging my apartment in order to accommodate a roommate. I had much more stuff in that second bedroom than I thought I did. Whew! That was a lot of work!

So, my new roomy arrived on Monday. She drove here from a suburb of Philadelphia. She was my roommate in college. I haven't seen her in about 7 years. It's been a hard week. She doesn't know this part of the state very well. I live in the northern suburbs and we went to school in the southern part of the state. Plus, I have had to work modified hours this week. I hate getting up at 4:30 am to get to work.

It's been really great seeing her and talking and talking and talking. So due to the happenings I haven't been blogging. Please excuse my absence.

I'm happy it's the weekend. I finally get some time to relax.