Thursday, April 24, 2014

Allah Owns Everything

Dear Diary,


Our children are only ever lent to us.
We never know just how long we will be able to keep them for.
So kiss them, cuddle them, praise them and hold them tightly.
But most of all... tell them you LOVE them EVERYDAY.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

You're Not A Failure

Dear Diary,

To the Mom who feels like she is a failure,
YOU'RE NOT

I know you've heard it before. You've read the articles, blog posts, tweets and Facebook statuses... You know you're not supposed to compare yourself to other moms.You know you are supposed to cut out the negative self-talk.

But today...it just got to be too much.

Today, you heard that voice in the back of your head that said, "I'm a failure." Maybe you went to a friend's house and saw that it was spotless. Or maybe you saw your other friend really making an impact in others' lives and wondered what stops you from doing big things. Or maybe you just looked around your home and couldn't find a space to sit and think.

And it all just became overwhelming.

The grease spot on the kitchen wall. The dirty cup under the table. The toys, scraps of paper and lonely socks without a match.

I've been there.

I know sometimes you manage to talk yourself out of the slump. Some days you give yourself grace. You remind yourself that that friend has a messy home too sometimes. That the other friend doing "big things" is in a different place in her life right now than you. And that the dirty kitchen isn't such a big deal; you can take care of it tomorrow.

But today...it hurts a little more than usual.

Today, you need a little bit more convincing. Today, you need someone to remind you that it's ok that you don't have a live in maid like that sister, or a husband or mother to watch your kids like that other sister...And you're not supposed to. You don't have to live up to their reality. You are living YOUR life and You Are Not A Failure.

You are not your greasy walls, your misplaced cups or your lost laundry. You are not the "dinner-gone-wrong-let's-order-kabsa" days. You are not defined by your low times. You can dust off your pants and get back up again.

You can do this.

I know you can. And Allah knows you can. You just need to know you can.

I want you to do something for yourself. I'm sure if I told you to write down all of the things you didn't do/don't have/need to do to be like sister so-and-so, that you could you fill a page pretty quickly.

But that's not what I want you to do.

I want you to write a list of all the things you DID do. All of the things you are for your children. All of the times you did great.

It may take a while, but that's okay. There's no time limit. Write down some and come back to it if you have to.

And remember -
1. Don't compare yourself to your other mom-friends
2. Stop the negative self-talk
3. Insya Allah, you can try again tomorrow
4. You are not alone

Author: Andrea Umm Abdullah

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Waktu-waktu Mustajab Doa

Dear Diary

WAKTU-WAKTU MUSTAJAB DOA

Satu pertiga malam
Sewaktu hujan turun
Waktu di antara dua khutbah khatib pada solat Jumaat
Sewaktu membacakan syahadah akhir setiap kali waktu solat
Tempoh masa dari azan hingga iqamat, dan juga sewaktu bilal telah iqamat untuk solat, dan sewaktu masuk ke dalam saf
Setiap sujud di dalam setiap waktu solat
Waktu dhuha

Monday, April 14, 2014

To Love and To Be Loved

Dear Diary,

A very poor man lived with his wife.

One day, his wife, who had very long hair asked him to buy her a comb for her hair to grow well and to be well-groomed.

The man felt very sorry and said no. He explained that he did not even have enough money to fix the strap of his watch that had just broken.

She did not insist on her request.

The man went to work and passed by a watch shop, sold his damaged watch at a low price and went to buy a comb for his wife.

He came home in the evening with the comb in his hand ready to give to his wife.

He was surprised when he saw his wife with a very short haircut.

She had sold her hair and was holding a new watch band.

Tears flowed simultaneously from their eyes, not for the futility of their actions, but for the reciprocity of their love.

To love is nothing, to be loved is something but to love and to be loved by the one you love, that is EVERYTHING. Never take love for granted.

Taken from LiteFM's Facebook

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Smile

Dear Diary,

Smiles are contagious. Be a carrier
Let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy day
Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles
A smile is a powerful weapon. You can even break ice with it.
A smile is like looking in a mirror.
If you give a smile you're likely to get one back
Smile if it kills you. The physiology of smiling diffuses a lot of anger and angst. It makes your body and soul feel better.
Be your own florist: wreathe your face in smiles
You are not fully dressed until you wear a smile.
He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger
It's easy enough to be pleasant when everything goes like a song, but the man who is worthwhile, is the man who can smile when everything goes dead wrong
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been
A smile of encouragement at the right moment may act like sunlight on a closed-up flower; it may be the turning point for a struggling life.
Be multilingual; smiles are the universal language
A smile enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give
So many languages in the world and a smile speaks them all
All the statistics in the world can't measure the warmth of a smile
A smile is just a frown upside-down

But most of all smile because it is the sunnah of our beloved Nabi S.A.W

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Motherhood

Dear Diary,

Motherhood is a choice you make every day
To put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own
To teach the hard lessons
To do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is
...And to forgive yourself over and over again
For doing everything wrong

~~ Donna Ball ~~