I have been working at this for some time but its beginning to reach fruition. Integration is a noun which has some synonyms that catch my meaning: amalgamation, unification, consolidation, fusing, blending, meshing, homogenization, coalescing, assimilation.
Prior to my Umrah pilgrimage my Instagram self was light hearted and jocular. The reels and photographs taken in Mecca were most religious, respectful and in awe. The other enormous image alteration that took place was the comments that I placed on other’s entries. It is incredibly rewarding to get Likes from others.
I am suffering from email problems and failure which cannot seem to be corrected. So I will not be able to give you the Instagram link to the originals that caught my eye. That goes to show that nobody or nothing is perfect. LOL has been most helpful – he now does all of the posting to alexis.com and comes to my apartment to offer computer and technical help. However, something remains amiss. Technical difficulties plague me, but bravely I carry on.
One woman posted a reel showing one woman criticizing another because she had prayed only two times rather than five. The music attached spoke of trying patience to the bone.
This posting was accompanied with a statement that readers should respond if they prayed at least once today.
Me: I SO agree with you!! I did not start out praying five times a day but I do now. Sometimes you need to start slow and work up to it. It has more meaning and your prayers are not merely dutiful but heartfelt. This statistic just in. 176 others liked my comment.
That is making an impact. That is being heard, appreciating and being appreciated by others.
I do offer comments to posts which concern current evens not only the Islamic faith. One post spoke of the Harry and Meghan fiasco. In essence it said that Prince William would not be responding to the inferences made in his brother’s book – not rebutting or giving importance to them/ And if H & M would be invited to the coronation it would be as simple spectators.
Me: Excellent response on the part of the Royal Family. They truly are Royal. Harry and his wife are not. They are making that perfectly clear. My sympathies to King Charles. How difficult for him. Harry is taking the same course as the Duke of Windsor did and look how treacherous he was later shown to be. Thank you for bringing us this news.
15 people, so far, liked my comments and it was only posted yesterday. I do have a sense of history, being that I am so old. It is important to put this into perspective.
There was much fuss and bother and the time of H & M’s wedding. I was blog writing at the time, did remember that I was not impressed and had written about it. With joy remembered that my search engine icon was in place. I typed in Harry and Meghan and five bogs stood at attention. The May 17,2018 blog was entitled The Myth of the Royal Wedding. I now quote q myself. (Does one, under that circumstance use quotes? I think I will.)
“The hills and dales are alive with the sound of music – Mendelssohn’s Wedding March anticipating the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan and it is sheer garbage meant to distract folks from the awfulness around us. Listen fellow women – there is only one Prince Harry and you do not particularly want him. His mother died when he was young and he is forever scarred. When his mother was around she was not very good at mothering because she had been abandoned herself. Diana’s mother left her, her sibs and the Earl of Spencer for some dashing foreigner (Egyptian if my memory servers me well). A man, any man, cannot meet a movie star, fall in ‘love’, start all over and live happily ever after. You cobble together a life and carry on with ongoing problems with loss and attachment. What, pray tell, does this couple have in common? Their lives could not be more different. She has to sacrifice everything for this union – her career, her home, her country and even, apparently, her charities. All of this to be a princess. Now that is well and good but look at what happened to Harry’s Mom. She was a princess and she was not happy at all – dreadfully unhappy and most of the players are the same players in Meghan’s life. They all may be royal but they are not particularly kind or motherly or empathetic. Princess Diane’s death was tragic but did occur because she was not wearing a seat belt and had bad taste in men at the end. Do let us get a grip. I also think that Prince Harry is not particularly bright and Meghan does appear to be very smart. That is not a good union – the dumb guy, smart girl scenario is fraught with difficulty, always has been and always will be. So if one is riveted to wedding news it is cheerier fodder than Trump and no gun control and mass murders but it no hope for the future of anyone – not even the happy couple. This myth of the perfect union is probably, in part, genetic but do lets look at it carefully. One cannot expect another person to make you happy – how logically can that take place? If you have to cling to something – cling to a life raft not another person.”
Looking back at this I do admit to be utterly amazed at my ability to foresee the future. Maybe I should go back to work and get paid for it?
I did make a promise to myself not to get involved in all of this trivia. But it is so tempting. I suppose that it is because one sometimes can be somewhat gladdened by another’s misery. They have it al it seems and then it is revealed that they actually have nothing – less than nothing. All of their riches, their Royalty leave them poverty stricken emotionally. It is sad, it is tragic. Tragic does describe it all. People all over the world suffer from familial conflict. Suppose it is rather reassuring to see the Royals do as well. It is not reassuring to me, I am filled with pity that not only do they have to suffer the alienation but have it out in the world for all to see. What were you thinking H when you wrote that scurrilous book? (Scurrilous is the making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation
I do admit that I have become side-tracked. That is to say that I did distract myself, divert, deflect draw away, and turn aside. Not only myself but you too.
Have to admit that I find it most amusing to see the pair are referred to as H&M which is a women’s clothing store known for its rather shoddy merchandise. Shoddy is inferior, second-rate, low-grade, cheapjack, tawdry, trashy, crude, tinny; tacky, tatty, junky, grotty. Hmmmm – rather descriptive.
The Harry and Meghan search reveals five entries. Reading them was rather eye opening. Am embarrassed to say that I have changed my mind on a number of rather major issues – people places and things. For example, the January 2020 found me praising Dubai and casting aspersions upon Canada. Criticized Prime Minister Trudeau who is now preforming admirably. Praised the Crown Prince of Dubai, although now do not. People and situations change and it is best to move with the flow. Lo and behold it is evident that my ability to foresee the future was not quite as accurate as I originally thought. I got H & M right, but Alexis McBride wrong.
In my defense shall say that I am now older and wiser – but that was only three years ago. It was prior to my reversion to the Islamic faith. I have learned a great deal subsequent to that reawakening. Learned things, at times, in a hard and painful manner.
Suddenly recall the saying: a rolling stone gathers no moss. Googled its meaning: if a person keeps moving from one place to another, they will not get many friends or possessions.
But apparently now it is beginning to have a positive connotation. “In these senses, moss has a positive connotation. In modern times, some have reinterpreted moss to have a negative connotation. Now, many people use the proverb as a warning not to become too settled in a lifestyle, because it will become tedious.”
This is applicable to my situation as I do not have, at this time, many possessions. Left California hurriedly because of the discrimination suffered. Almost with only the clothes on my back (and my Apple devices). Left for the UAE without possessions and without my winter clothes in storage where they remain. Then last month while in Riyadh left my summer clothes. Felt I did not need them as winter would still be upon Canada when I returned to fast during Ramadan. I plan to return to Saudi Arabia but not immediately. So, to say the very least, I have few possessions.
Writing this at night because my posting schedule has been altered.. LOL returns to school tomorrow. He will post in the morning before leaving for school. We conversed via text.
Me: Sleep in tomorrow no blog. I will send it during the night so it is there Monday morning when you get up. Okay?
He: Got it.
Me: Great! Get it! Got it Good. I enjoyed having the day off. I do have an idea about what I am going to write about. I am sure your are NOT looking forward to school tomorrow.
He: haha yes
Me: I think you are trying to say no I am not looking forward to school tomorrow. Hahahaha
He: Ya, that’s what I mean
Me: I knew it!! ! I am SO smart.
Me: I am not so smart, I sent this stupid thing.
He: What happened?
Me: I was trying to send you a clever GIF or a sticker and this is all I could come up with.
It was an accidentally taken screen shot of my iPhone
I have a marvelous ability to laugh and stay positive. Those are traits admired by Allah (SWT). So everything is working out despite my lack of clothing and possessions.
After praising myself for the serious content expressed on Instagram, my contribution of yesterday was the photo you shall now see with this caption. “The culinary treat of the day. Deviled eggs. All this and I can cook too. Oops, almost ate them all before I found my iPhone. “
