When i promise things I do deliver, although it may take some time. Somewhere along the line I got distracted. Here is the promise vowed am going to keep.
So Mecca would be the destination because every Muslim must to to Mecca once in their lifetime as they can afford it. I have been reading about the Islamic faith and found a link on Your Tub Muhammed, His Life Based on Earliest Sources. The link is https://youtu.be/Jecrb8EF25Y/It is most lengthly and most informative and contains information unknown to me. According to the faith, Abraham and Sarah, married to one another but had no children. When Sara is 76 (my age) there is a manifestation and Abraham is encouraged to take a second wife and produce a son. This takes place. But then when Sarah is 90 and Abraham is 100 she becomes pregnant and a son is born. She suckles the child and then he is weaned. Suckle is a verb which means feed a baby or an animal from the breast or teat. Its synonyms are: breast fead, nurse. The sons go forth and form two nations. Very long and complicated but Mecca is formed. It is hard to concentrate on the lengthly audio but as I earn more, I will get back to you.”
So last night was the night. It was a rather difficult journey listening to the video in the beginning because it began with Abraham and began to mention all of the relatives and Arabic names are most complicated to my ears, they are not like: Joe, Mary or Pete. But persistence paid off, first learning about Mecca. God comes to Abraham, ordering Abraham’s son Ismael l and his mother Hagar must leave the home of Abraham, Sarah and son Issac. The two cross the desert but almost die for lack of water. Hagar prays, God answers and a well appears full of pure and abundant water. This becomes the site of Mecca which eventually turns into a town with permanent housing, not tents. Many more Arabic names but then Mohammed is eventually born, leading an interesting early life but loosing but his mother and beloved grandfather. (His father died before he was born). After the grandfather’s death he is raised with the brother of his deceased father. The brother is not wealthy so, at quite a young age he finds employment, taking goods to neighboring countries,selling the goods of his nation to others, bringing back goods from that country where merchants would sell them and make a profit. In other words, he expedited trade. When he is twenty-five he is hired by a 40 year old woman, twice married but her previous husbands have died. He does an excellent job and is rewarded. His physical appearance is described – he was immensely handsome. She has a friend propose to him and he accepts. Ten or fifteen camels are given as dowry. But here is the strangest part of this story, well two strange parts actually. According the physical description Mohammed, super handsome, very much resembles the Sultan (aka Fazza, aka the Crown Prince of Dubai). Then the camels as dowry – I do wonder if any of the camels were called Alexis, the camel from China who won the recent Dubai Camel Race. It is doubtful, but does make me laugh. Mohammed and his wife enjoy a very happy marriage, where it is reported that they are not just husband and wife but also friends. They have their tragedies – five children are borne but two sons die, the three daughters do live. At that juncture I became tired and went to sleep. By the way, dowry: property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage.
It is a fascinating and complete religion speaking to me far more than my Protestant childhood faith did. Specifically, the manner in which women are regarded and the ‘normal’ life that Mohammed led – in contrast to the way of life the other prophet, Jesus, lived. Mohammed’s existence was exemplary – I do not see Jesus in the same light. That is my personal belief, not trying to convince anyone. I do laugh.
But to bring us up to date to the mess that this country, and most of the world is in. This is new and current wisdoms from CPI:
She: Surely authorities can’t wonder at riots and demonstrations at this point. People can be shut up, denied outlets and basically threatened for only so long. There was even a demonstration in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sunday ( on that truly ugly plaza).
Me: What better place to have a demonstration than in an ugly plaza. I absolutely loved your email which I read this morning . I do so agree with you that the authorities cannot wonder at the riot and demonstration. The death of the young man merely gives them an excuse and can rally them around a cause. Now, because of the demonstrations , we are on curfew at night and cannot emerge from our houses after 6 at night. So they are making it worse instead of better and not taking any responsibility for their over reactions to this virus.
She: I have a HAIR APPOINTMENT in two weeks!
Me: Congratulations, that is a real accomplishment. Off to blog!
My Vancouver notebook search found a comment made by CPI in the early days of the blog.
She: The blog is not you, it is your persona.
Persona is image, face, public face, character, personality, identity, self; front, facade, guise, exterior, role, part.
I think it was true at the time but see this changing. It is no longer my facade, my role, my part or my exterior or my image. I think the blog is me, not sure when or why that changed. One factor is that I have become more self-accepting as time has gone on and do not use the blog for certain (rather nefarious purposes. I do write for myself and not for others. I will check with Wise Man for conformation, my list t of questions grows and grows.
The photograph is of a painting portraying a tree in the snow, which is beautiful. I suppose because I live in a city of no snow. Perhaps it is a case of wanting what you cannot have, in a strange way.
