Family Encourager

It has now been nearly nine months since we first heard of the corona virus, Covid-19. I, for one, thought by now we would have a clearer picture of what is to come. After words such lockdown, social distancing, quarantine, masks, disposable gloves have become the norm. I expected we can get out of our homes, return to work, have a semblance of a normal life. Everyone keeps talking about the "new" normal. What does that even mean? I do not want a new normal, I enjoyed all that my life had to offer pre-Covid. I will remain loyal to my life and grateful for all I had. I keep thinking of all that we lost in Corona. This is my list: 1. Smiles 2. Hugs 3. Kisses 4. Lipstick 5. Freedom of movement 6. Safety 7. Internal peace 8. Concerts 9. Cinema 10. Team sports 11. Parties 12. Weddings 13. Celebrations 14. Stress free outings 15. Take away coffee 16. Amusement parks 17. Theater 18. Airplanes 19. Travel 20. Museums 21. Clubs/Bars ...

Seven weeks ago we woke up to school being on a break for two weeks and then two weeks of online schooling. Now we are on our fifth week of online schooling and our fifth week of being in lock down. No social interaction except with the people that live in our home! Who knew back in February that this would be our new normal! People working from home. Restaurants, malls, movie theaters, opera houses, metro, any sign of a normal life, CLOSED! Here is what I have learned in this self isolation: 1. I loved my life! The crazy rush, the social connections, even the daily grind, I loved it all! 2. I need a lot less then I think I need! My life is confined to my home and garden. Yet, I have managed to remain productive. 3. I need social interaction! As great as social media and video calls are, nothing beats being with friends face to face! I want to meet my friends in a cafe and chat. 4. Confined or otherwise I remain true to myself! I have not suddenly become something I am not!...

What is happening to the world? Is this World War III with no weapons needed? Being waged on the streets of every city and town, and not on a battle field?  Is this the end of the world? Have we woken up to a brand new reality? What is this? We have all heard about the super virus prophecies. It was spoken about in hushed tones, that one day humanity will face an adversary swift, unseen, and deadly. One little super virus has brought nations to their knees. Brought humanity to a halt. The economies have been destroyed in what seems to be overnight. Panic has hit many communities. People hoarding, self isolating, suspicious of their neighbors. Whole industries locked down for the foreseeable future, possibly forever. Lives interrupted, put on hold. Many unknowns. Too many questions and certainly not enough answers. Last December we all heard little background chatter about a virus that started in China that sounded a little more dangerous then the flu. In a few weeks,...

This will be a short blog just to open the conversation. It's a topic that I have thought about and debated often. Are there chance meetings in this world? Are you meant to meet the people you need to have in your life? Why that person and not another? Is every chance meeting meant to teach you something? Give you something? Bring something to your life? I am not talking about love or friendship only, I am talking about lessons learned, moments shared, about questions answered, all and every chance meeting we have. To take it further, I always think about children born into impoverished nations, why was that child born on that piece of land starting life at a disadvantage? All of your life can be dictated from that moment of chance, born there or a few miles away in a thriving society, couldn't it? Accidents why that moment and that person? Does chance exist? Or do we believe in it so much that we make it exist? Do we look for things to make them the chance that c...

I remember when we had the anticipation of the year 2000, everyone thought the world would stop. Computers would fail and our whole world as we know it would collapse. We waited anxiously for the clock to strike midnight with abated breath, and nothing happened. That was the year I had gotten married and a new life journey had begun. Fast forward 20 years later, 20!!! We at least know that as the clock strikes midnight later today the world will not fall into tech chaos and we will not wake up to an earth that has changed forever. As for me, I have been reflecting on the past 10 years and what has changed or remained the same in my own life. How has my outlook on life in general changed, what priorities shifted, and how I would like to handle my world moving forward into the 5th decade of my own existence or is it 6th? What do you call the years from 2010 to 2019? Cannot find a credible name that held. If you know any, please share with me!  Anyway, this decade br...

I have volunteered in my children's life as far as I can remember. I have been the mom that bakes for the bake sale or party, the mom that reads to the kids and with the kids, the mom that organizes Christmas and Easter celebrations, the mom that brings new ideas to the school and makes them happen, the mom that helps the teacher when needed, the mom that wants to be involved in her kids lives and be around their school. Volunteering as the word denotes, is something you do for free and because you really really want to. It is something you are willing to give to the community for the love of the act. We all have our reasons for wanting to give our time and effort. We want to be part of a community, we want to give back, we want to make a difference. I do it because it allows me a glimpse of what my children do at school and it gives me the satisfaction of doing that within my comfort zone. I love watching the kids interaction and seeing how they blossom thr...

My small tiny home country seems to be in a state of revolution. For a few days now millions of people in all neighborhoods have been demonstrating, asking for change. Change in government, change in process, change in economy, change in view, change in grass roots ideology. In a united front it looks like more than one third of the population has stood up and said enough!  Has it been a long time coming? Yes! Has it been something on everyone's mind? Yes! Has the governing body just done too little, not enough, too much? Yes! What did it take to start a friendly peaceful uprising for regular people wanting better for themselves and their families? Probably just like in every revolution one tiny event that was the last straw. The populace stood up and wanted to be heard, seen, felt. As I am neither a political analyst nor an informed citizen on the history of governing in my country, (ssshhh do not tell anyone, my excuse is I have not lived there permanently in ...

I guess it's time I use my heritage for a blog.  In the Arabic language we have beautiful words with deep meanings. It is a rich language full of poetry with multiple explanations. The Arabic language, if you are well versed in it, can take you on a sublime journey. Sadly, you will get none of that here. I am neither a linguist nor have I learned enough Arabic  to be able to appreciate all it has to offer. Maktoob, means a letter we send to someone or as I intend it in this blog, it means it is written. Written for us, as our destiny. The last few months have brought me sad news of parents lost and family members passing on with unexpected speed. Having lost my mother a few years ago, I can feel deeply with my dear friends who have had to grapple with the devastation. Trying to make sense of a loved one being perfectly healthy and in what feels like a blink of an eye to have to say good bye. Questioning the essence of life. The why has this happened? Did we miss the...

August is my baby girl's birthday month. She has always been a feisty determined little girl. With each passing year, she has become more focused and less scattered. She is still feisty (may that never change) and she knows what she wants. From day one that she magically appeared in our life (isn't every child's birth magical?).I knew that she would bring some star dust to our home. She has the capacity to make any situation more entertaining and add a touch of her own personality to almost anything. She has a beautiful heart and a wise old soul. I am amazed at how this little girl understands the subtlety's of human emotions. She feels others loneliness, she understands pain, she grasps feelings, she can read people way better then I ever did, at even a much older age. We watch animated movies, she cries intensely, even in the happy scenes. In the Grinch that Stole Christmas she could not stop crying, she acknowledged the Grinch rejection and exclusion. In T...

Every blog I write comes from an experience, a moment, a thought, an incident, and event in my life. As I sat down to write my June blog, I thought I am going to write about what is going on in my life right now.  Then I thought, that is great, but why only talk about  my life, why not look at the bigger picture?  I went down the path, of how does this subject reflect on all parenting in today's world? How are we all changed by technology and how that has affected a whole generation?  Here I go! Again, this is personal viewpoint and reflection. Disclaimer: all opinions stated here are my own and all introspection is solely from my psyche.  My eldest child, my son, is on a school expedition in Africa. It is a two week trip, based around service to the community and a trek that is to be independently organized by the team of students themselves.  They need to plan and execute their mission as a team. Working towards achieving a unified goal bas...

Last night I watched a tribute band to George Michael. As I sat there listening, I realized that many of the songs are over 30 years old! 30!! How did that happen?  Let me set the scene for you, the venue was a gorgeous opera house packed to the rafters, the seats nearly all full, the audience a huge percentage of women ranging from 45 to 55 and beyond! On stage is a 5 piece band, and a singer that is George Michael's twin, in appearance and voice. All the old favorites were included, I could not believe how I remembered the lyrics! I sang along, and I even stood up and danced, and so did the rest of the audience! A heartfelt thank you was said, to the singer that gave us all this beautiful music. Last night, made me think what music means to me. Why was I feeling all kinds of emotions? What did these songs bring to my life? How did music shape who I am today? Does music actually play a bigger role in our lives, then we give it credit? I had a myriad of emotions wa...

We all are born and given our name by our parents. If we are lucky. Unless we are abandoned and named by our caretakers. Generally speaking, the people that love us the most in the universe, give us a moniker.  A majority of parents, have an inkling to what the new baby's name should be. A few, wait to see the baby, before making a final decision. Even less then those, will have a disagreement and the baby will remain "the baby" for a while.  In my culture, a boy may be named after his paternal grandfather and a girl may be named after her paternal grandmother. Thankfully, this custom is slowly dying off. My mother's generation had to put up with a child's name not of their choosing. As my mother tells it, she cried for several weeks after my brother was born and refused to call him by the name chosen for him by tradition.  In my marriage to be fair and accommodating, we agreed that my husband will name the first child and me the second. It took 8 ...

Mid life, middle age, the wrong side of forty, the in-between of youth and old age, over the hill, call it what you will, all sound gloomy and downtrodden. It sounds like the beginning of the end! This is the time in our life, were our off spring spring off (see what I did there), our careers if we have any seem unfulfilling, our marriages can be boring and tedious, our daily life a monotone colorless existence. I refuse to subsist like that! I am not sure how you feel about your age today! Blooming, flourishing, blossoming, improving, thriving, is how I would rather think of myself with the passing of time. Perspective is what it is all about. What you lose with youth, you gain with age. I know myself better, my values are clear, my beliefs are solid, my likes and dislikes obvious, my relationships real, my priorities set, and outside noise quietened. Life becomes a path of finding contentment were possible, minimize stress, survive sad times, push through hard moments, an...

Usually, January is a let down. The coldest month of the year in certain places, dark and miserable days, the festive season is over with all its merriment. I do not know many people that actually enjoy this month. I do! It is the month, that 17 years ago, I became a mother. It is by far one of my favorite months. It is the month, that one of my most beloved human beings was born. He brought me, immense joy at becoming a mother. But much more then that, he is just fun to be around. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he reminds me of what is great about this world.  Being his mother has been easy and joyous. I have not ever felt the need to send him away or to run away. I have heard of various challenges to being a mother, with behavioral issues and tantrums in toddlers and teens. We have not faced it with our son, on either end. We have been blessed to have "the perfect baby", soon to be full fledged adult. That makes what comes next, totally heart wrenching. Th...

Good Bye 2018, we wish you adieu.  You have been a friend, a foe, a comfort, a joy, a pain, a fear, a stab in the dark, a stab in the back, a crutch, a delight, a forever after, a good bye, a dream, a nightmare, a lesson learned, a hope for the future, a bet, a wish, a survival, a journey. The end of a year, is for most, a time to say farewell to the old and accept the new. Parties abound and midnight is rung down, like there won't be another midnight in 24 hours again. We don party hats and blow on noise makers and welcome a new year with promise. We make resolutions, and promises to ourselves and others. We have hope in our hearts and strength of will to change or accept. We hold ourselves accountable to fulfill shelved dreams and vows made. We welcome a new year, as a way to turn the page and forge a fresh chapter. We look forward, always forward! This year, I intend to look back. I intend to reflect and question the year that was. I plan to dissect...