Blessed Night

Last night the moon rose large and luminous over the pine trees behind the neighbor’s house. Always beautiful, whether showing a sliver of bare shoulder above a gown of star speckled black or staring down at us, full-figured and lovely, proudly flaunting the rich curving body of night. Body of night moon slips silent through star-strewn sky white nights connect the dots an immense heaven wide picture seen in dream filled slumber heard in the whisper of mother’s goodnight kiss felt in smooth hands pushing back sleep tousled locks the first blessing counted, held dear As we went back inside, we paused to admire the night sky, noting the stars more bashful than usual, hiding in the glow of their sister moon. I looked for Orion, but he was gone. But then,...

Posted by on May 6, 2012 in America, Family Time, Natural Living | 3 comments

A Time for This…

I have not forgotten about Yemeni Journey…in fact I have been thinking about it a lot, as I start down the path of making it into an actual book, insh’Allaah. Mash’Allaah, though, there have been many distractions this month keeping me away from writing as I would like. Alhamdulillah, Allaah has made it possible for us to have completed and published the newest addition to our book store, Statements of the Guiding Scholars of our Age Regarding Books and their Advice to the Beginner Seeker of Knowledge, compiled by Abu Sukhailah with an introduction by Sheikh Muhammad al-Imaam, may Allaah preserve him. This book has been years in the making, and we have all been busy in the last two months editing and formatting it. It is also our first Kindle...

Posted by on May 1, 2012 in America, Family Time, Miscellaneous | 8 comments

I Can Write…

As many of you know, I take my role as mother to my eight children very seriously. I homeschool them, I play with them, I read with them, I sit quietly with them, I walk with them, I celebrate with them, and  I worship with them. If you have read my posts on creative parenting at Riehlife, you will know that one of my favorite things to do with them is to challenge them to open their hearts and minds and think in a different way. and to express themselves and their thoughts and feelings through writing and other creative endeavors. This is such a wonderful way to spend time with them, especially near the end of the day when we gather in my room for a bit of time together before bedtime. Mash’Allaah, they never cease to amaze me with their insights and...

Posted by on Apr 22, 2012 in America, Family Time | 0 comments

Real Hunger is No Game

I received an email from my son, Mujaahid, today. He and his family are still living in the small mountain village that we called home for three years. This village was recently subjected to a months long blockade, which I wrote about in my “From the Front”series here at Yemen Journey. Things are back to normal, and apparently moving forward. Mujaahid told me that electricity lines are being brought in, so the village’s power will no longer be available at the whim of a few antiquated generators and a few Houthi rebels who have the ability, from time to time, to stop shipments of diesel from entering the village. This is a great blessing in a lot of ways, for those who can afford the lines and the burden of an extra monthly bill. Mujaahid, at this time,...

Posted by on Apr 12, 2012 in Big Issues, Damaaj | 16 comments

Vertigo

Last week I had another brief attack of vertigo, a remnant from my battle with typhoid a few years ago in the small Yemeni village I called home. It threw me off a bit, this reminder of one of the most difficult times in my life. It was unexpected, but blessedly brief, unlike my first brush with the disease that almost bested me. It was a time of blows, coming one after another. First, my father died across the world after a long and painful illness. I had not spoken to him since leaving for Yemen, and those silent years weighed heavily upon me, a burden I had to shoulder even though I couldn’t see any other path I could have taken. Within days of his death, my husband left for Sana’a and, eventually, America. Knowing that there is good in all...

Posted by on Apr 4, 2012 in America, Damaaj, Family Time | 6 comments

Sheer Poetree at Wide Earth

This weekend we made our first poetree. Ever tried it? Now’s the time to start. The children simply blossomed when we did ours. Curious? Read my post at Wide Earth.  

Posted by on Mar 20, 2012 in Family Time | 7 comments

By Chance or By Choice

I passed my road test last week for my driver’s license. I was relieved, and happy. I had originally gotten my license when I was sixteen, back in Wisconsin. One of the many hats my dad wore was that of driver’s education instructor, and he trained me well. I found that, after ten years of not driving when we lived in Yemen, I still kept my hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel and checked my blind spots industriously. I could almost hear him in the car with me. I remembered one time I accidentally ran a stop sign in Eau Claire. Deadpan, my daddy said, “In Gays Mills, we have to stop at those.” Needless to say, having my license again is a great blessing. We are able to go to be more independent, and not have to bother our family for rides to the...

Posted by on Mar 20, 2012 in America, Big Issues, Family Time, Natural Living | 9 comments