Bliss In Practice

When I first began learning about Islam (and I have a lot more to learn) I noticed certain themes repeat themselves. A scrap paper floated to the top of my notes this morning. I had jotted down several words: Light, Victory, Rewards, Submission, Amiableness, Smiling, Knowledge. These mysterious pearls coaxed me to dive deep, hold them and examine them, to see their beauty close up. While sitting on my balcony aka my contemplation platform with my morning tea, I thought about a conversation with my work colleague. He was watching a philosopher on YouTube and began to speak about it's content. The conversation eventually turned to his new girlfriend. They both graduated as social workers just this spring. After the congratulations and usual etiquette he opened up to me. There was a problem he is struggling with. She has an eating disorder. As the conversation evolved we tried to get to the root of this problem. We discussed body dysmorphia and family dynamics like daddy iss...

While looking for the next Sura to read, I came across one that drew me because of it's title “Ranged in Rows”. The title struck me for 2 reasons. I liked the alliteration in the title, it rolled off the tongue. I also was curious as to what exactly was (a)ranged in rows. So, why “ranged” and not “arranged”? My first thought was that of course the angels are always arranged by Allah. They have no will of their own. Then I thought, ranged reminds me of an artillery range which again is fitting with the first image of a stellar battleground. As soon as I typed “ranged” into google the first 3 things that pop up are ranged training, ranged weapons, ranged armour all have to do with runescape. I should ask Ben to explain it to me. The rows bit is I think obviously referring to the hierarchy of angels. The first being on the “front lines” to protect any eavesdropping on the “higher assembly”. I then turned my attention to the psychological effect of sound symbolism in the f...

Its good and healthy to have role models. The people who set a standard to live by mold and shape our lives for the better. As women, we need to pay special attention to other women in our lives and constantly seek out others to emulate or at least learn from.  My maternal grandmother was someone I admired and looked up to. She was strong physically and mentally. She traveled from Italy just herself and 3 young children by boat to meet my grandfather who had come to Toronto ahead of his family. My Nonna's English was poor, but her love of family and tradition was strong. She taught us Italian by speaking to us in Italian. Sometimes the kids would try and answer in broken Italian. She would pinch our cheeks and give us an endearment like "Cara mi bella" or "chichouti". Every Sunday was  a visit to Nonna's. Everybody always showed up and then some. Nonna would happily cook 5 course meals for at least 12 people. Sunday never ended before 8pm. Nonna...

This is one of my favorite go to meals. It is full of protein and veg that is hidden. My 11 year old didn't even mention the zucchini. If everyone likes veggies, add eggplant and peppers too. Makes enough for 4 servings Time: 15-20 min Ingredients: 1 pkg halal ground beef 1 bottle of passata (glass bottle of tomato puree) 1/2 onion diced 1 small zucchini diced 1 large garlic clove diced 1 tbs Italian mix spice 1 tsp rosemary 1/4 cup olive oil (or enough to almost cover the bottom of a large fry pan) 1 beef bovril cube crumbled In a fry pan heat olive oil at medium heat. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and spices. Saute until onion is transparent. Add ground beef breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Add entire bottle of passata. **some passata has added salt so dont add any if it does** Add beef cube. Turn heat down as it tends to bubble and splatter. Stir and let cook for about 10-15 min on low...

I've been watching tafseers by my favorite scholar Nouman Ali Khan. One in particular intrigued me, a lecture on Sura Al-Kahf. He explained that some suras give correction and direction on historical events like wars and jurisprudence. Sura Al-Kahf is different. There is a reason why we are urged to read it each Friday. This sura is so full of archetypal, symbolic and historical meaning you could spend your lifetime studying it and never know all there is to know. Nouman presents a case for the Catholic history involving the sleepers in the cave. He sites the need to honor the legacy of what came before and take it further. He discusses the Jacobite Christians of Syriac and Arabia and their knowledge of the Youth of the cave. My Catholic background never mentioned this story, or at least I was never formally taught about it. My plan is to research this story and see how it relates to what the Qur'an has to say. Apparently the Arabic Christians had festivals relati...

It's a scary thing to thinking about for most of us. We live our lives, we hope, we pray and try and enjoy our natural surroundings especially in our fantastic but all too short summer. Then something unexpected happens. Something we never imagined. Something we keep far from our minds. Death touches a friend or family member. When someone has been sick for a long time, with cancer or some other disease, we are prepared. When we face the sudden death of a youth we are not. Today I visited my son. Before I could walk into the office, the director pulled me aside. “Can I speak to you privately for a minute?”. I walked away from my car a little apprehensive about what I was going to hear. Maybe my son got into a fight, maybe he needed stitches... “ One of our volunteers had a fatal car crash last night...he's on life support...they're pulling the plug this morning”. So many thoughts and questions flooded my mind as I made sincere condolences to him. He continued t...

This smoothie is just sexy. I really cant remember where I found this recipe since I've had this for years. But seriously tastes EXACTLY like Orange Julius. mmmm makes 1 smoothie 3oz frozen orange juice 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup honey 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy.

This is a fun recipe to make together with the kids or to have handy as a quick snack. It's great all year round and no stove needed. Very portable for picnics. Get your milk, juice and PB and J on just like the good ole days. :) Makes 30 cookies 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk 1/4 cup wheat germ 1 cup dry cereal (eg: rice crispies) 1/2 cup dry apricots (finely chopped) 1/4 cup apple juice concentrate your favorite jelly or jam  Mix all ingredients together except jelly in a bowl. With a teaspoon scoop out a bit of mixture and shape into 1 inch balls. place on baking sheet or other suitable container. Use index finger to make indent in each ball. Cover with wax paper and refrigerate until firm (about 20 min). Fill dimples with a dab of jelly and serve.

I was thinking about productivity and how to better manage my time. So I began browsing through my phone to find useful apps. I came up with 4 apps I'd like to share. I found all of these for free on google play. 1. Hadith Pro 2. My Fitness Buddy 3. Flipp 4. Alif Ba Ta Alphabet Hadith Pro is an app that contains a neat drop down menu which sorts hadiths by significant category. Some of the categories include: the light, advising and amicableness among others. There is also a little heart function that lets you favorite the hadiths you really like and collects them into a swipe-able folder.  Another function lets you forward hadiths by copy/paste or forward to email. Free daily inspiration on your phone whenever you need it. My Fitness Buddy is packed with functions you can use every day. It's easy to search and add food choices in breakfast lunch and dinner categories. At the top is a running calorie counter that will minus the exercises y...

Isn’t my body already my slave? Nope. In fact, your body probably has you tied up right now, or perhaps even in a cage. The body craves things. Sometimes they are healthy, sometimes not. With it's powerful primordial signals the body nags, shakes and pokes at your willpower menacing it to give in. The thing is most of the time we don't realize this is occurring. There is a mind/body separation going on in our modern culture that has reached such heights it's actually killing us. “People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole. I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind. ” – Henry Rollins. Why should I make my body my slave? Ok so what? Who cares if I follow my low instincts? It's society...

My 11 year old son laughed at me yesterday when I asked him a math question. So to teach him not to laugh at his mommy, I'm giving him this Codeemoji to figure out encryption style. His hint - gimme a kiss.    https://mzl.la/2alg5LB So if you have kids or feel up for a brainteaser yourself, check it out: https://advocacy.mozilla.org/en-US/encrypt/codemoji/2

During my first Ramadan, I found myself in serious introspect and contemplation, fasting which imparted control and discipline, as well as gaining knowledge through reading, YouTube, discussion and salah. I feel changed. I've had a tune-up so to speak. I’ve lost the taste for what I'll term “mind garbage”. We usually go about our lives in an unconscious way. We eat unhealthy food and even when we are not that hungry, we listen to music which reminds us of our past and go down a sad memory lane, we put off important things like exercise, advancing our careers, keeping in touch with our families and we don’t even know why. Watch hours of sports or random channel surf on a beautiful sunny day. What if today were the last day of your life? Would you be content to spend it consuming McDonald’s for the soul? I came across a very uncomplicated yet complete to do list. It said simply this: Sharpen the mind Harden the body Soften the heart And be of service to ...