I happened again, I became obsessed with the words to a song that begins blessed by the tie that binds. I know it is a hymn from my early Christian upbringing because of the words that follow: our hearts in Christian love. We shall see.
Artificial Intelligence chimed in when I Googled.
“Blessed be the tie that binds” celebrates the profound, unifying power of Christian love and community, where members share mutual joys, burdens, and hopes, creating a spiritual bond similar to that of heaven. Written by John Fawcett, the hymn reflects the strong connections within the church, but the phrase can also refer to any deep, supportive connection—such as within a community or family—that holds people together through shared experiences and affection.
It was expansive and confronting to read that the phrase can also refer to any deep supportive connection. Therefore, my connection to Allah (SWT) and other Muslims is included in this definition. The expression ‘the tie that binds’ is used to describe a common idea or belief that links people together.
I have an amazing example of a common belief that links people together. The example of this is shown on my YouTube channel. Go there, it is the first one you shall see under latest. It is Malaysia’s mission to free Gaza begins. The reel was forwarded by my part time Muslim driver Din. I watched it and wept. Tears of joy, tears of pride. Malaysian people taking a stand against the evil and oppression of Israel. The Malaysian government has stood strong against the evil, unlike other governments throughout the world. But when the people themselves also fight out against the evil – it makes it all glorious. So go and watch it. That is an order from headquarters. Hahahah
While you are there, on my YouTube channel, you must watch another reel that was sent by my Muslim Sister Yasmin. It is also under Latest, is the fourth one down and is called The Human Eye. If you are open minded and have a scientific mind you will become a Believer. Such knowledge learned the hard way led to my becoming of the Islamic Faith. Best thing I ever did.
Then there was this question, posed in Google. How do you know you are blessed by God?
This the answer: When He calls you to something He will make a way. If resources are coming to you when you are not expecting them, God is setting you up for something great! Remember if God has given you a promise He will bring it to pass.
This seems to have happened to me. I was chosen to write a blog, I do so with relative ease, my readership increases particularly with my Dream Team which includes Nesh, my Content Manager. He writes my Instagram blog breakdowns – we will not adjourn to Nesh, to read and to reflect.
“Rain, Chais and Blessing From the rain soaked mornings to unexpected wisdom, from GIF wars to solver shows, this day proved yet again that even in chaos. Allah’s blessings always shine through.’
I am pictured being pushed in a luggage cart down a long Paradise hallway.
“Some days rain feels like a burden, But, if you look closer it’s not just rain, its violets, blessings and reminders from Allah in disguise.
Yesterday should have been chaos, rain , a public hold holiday missed plans, but somehow it turned into day a day stitched with mercy. From Nixon sharing wisdoms about “letting go” to ‘Shamir turning me into a Dancing Queen GIF (yes I’m suing him🤣) to silver shoes that fit better than anything I could’ve planned..every twist has blessings in each own way.
The truth? Plans derail, But Allah’s wisdom never does. Even in GIF wars, crowded malls, unexpected rain, there are lessons lessons, laughter and light if we stop long enough to notice. Alhamdulillah for detours, for mercy in disguise, and for silver shoes that sparkle with reminders of his grace.”
It is interesting, going back and reading Nesh’s words about a day make me remember it and appreciate more than I did when I was experiencing it. All of the blimps are gone, there is a seamless wisdom to the entire day long experience. I remember the best of the day not the worst of the day. I am echoing Charles Dickens.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” -Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities
The opening line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” embodies the dichotomy, or comparison, that Dickens sets up between London and Paris. The characters find destruction, death, and revolution in Paris—and peace, safety, and comfort in London.
Some days you can experience the same best times/worse times during a rainy day in Penang, Malaysia. Hahahah
When Rain Feels Like Violets
Born from poetry and turned into a song it carries a timeless reminder that storms carry seeds of hope. Hardship may pour down, but it brings up something brighter in its wake.
Ain’t that the truth. This next swipe described, perfectly and succinctly the day.
“Public Holiday Mayhem
Malaysia is the champion of public holidays, and trust me, they do not come quietly. Hotels packed, traffic gridlocked, even emergency crews given time off. And heavy rain added to the mix, and it’s full blown chaos. My best laid plans? Derailed. But sometimes Allah rewrites the day for reason we can see only later.”
Exactly, keep reading and you will see Allah’s presence in that day and ensuing days .
“Employson Explosion
Nesh speaks of me giving the Dream Team the day off, listening to Shamir’s mischief and giving him a new title: sonemployee or better yet, employson which exploded into EYE; Explosion Yes Explxion. Nesh retains his identity, so far.
Wisdom from Nixon
From KL, Nixon sent me a translation: “Let yourself go” Turn the page. Life is just a journey.
Deep words that echo the Quran itsel, hardship, healing, and the wisdom of moving forward, It was a reminder that even in borrowed words , Allah placed truth, before us.
We will now turn, rather seamlessly, from profundity to sheer folly.
Dancing Queen vs. The Techie
Nixon once filmed me dancing, harmless enough. But Shamir? Turned it into a full GIF masterpiece.
Me: Curses. I will sue you!
Shamir: Victory dance GIF,
Me: Never, I’m Alexis the Great Advocate!
So the GIF ward escalated. Who wins?
Laughter does. Always.
Here is an update. Yesterday, Thursday the 18th, in a private correspondence Shamir and I exchanged 21 GIFs.
Me: You please count, How many GIFs did we exchange today??? I counted 21. Perhaps a record???
He: WOW I lost count
Me: I went back and counted YIKES
“A Day of Blessings
Between the madness comes small miracles.;
A parking place at Queensbay Mall
A reunion with kind staff at Sephora.
And silver shoes At Clarkes, not $3,000 Jakarta shoes, but perfect ones under $100. Proof that Allah provides in his way, His time, and often with more comfort then we ever knew to ask for.
Legacy, Peace and Silver Shoes
So the day ended not in chaos but in gratitude…… “
Update:
The next day gave even greater cause for gratitude. I was to have tea with a dear Muslim KL friend on the fateful day. But the crowds and the parking made it unfeasible. I asked for a rain check. The next morning she texted saying she had brought a gift and could she drop it off at Lyf. Of course I said yes. She arrived, beautifully dressed. I gave her a huge hug, so happy to see her. A staff member cheered me on.
He: I love your positivity!!!
Me: Thank you! Me too and you know that saying. Birds of a feather block together?? Positive people surround themselves with positive people, miserable people surround themselves with negative people.
Wikipedia tells us: Birds of a feather flock together is an English proverb. The meaning is that beings (typically humans) of similar type, interest, personality, character, or other distinctive attribute tend to mutually associate.
The presents brought by my dear Muslim friend were from her Umrah. I wrote in thanks
Me: This is your official thank you note. Thank you for the dates. I am going to start fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and breaking fast with those unique and special dates will be a blessing. Alhamdulillah. And the fragrance from Taif is so special. I visited Taif in July 2023, not the city but above. A strange story . I so love the smell of roses. The history of our Prophet (PBUH) ub Taif is so compelling and when I smell myself wearing it I will be remembering its meaning.
She: My pleasure. Alhamdulillah.
AI can occasionally be useful. You shall see two examples. This a dua of meaning and relevance.
O Allah, place ease in my pen, clarity in my words, and patience in my heart. Let me writing be a reflection of truth, humor, and light. Ameen
The other example is this. I have not been taking photographs these past few days. Usually end my blog with photos. I remember, hidden in my photography portfolio are a number of stunning sunset photos taken from my apartment in Edmonton. They will be shown with this transition.
AI also answered questions about cumulous clouds in the prairies. Specifically, Edmonton, Alberta (Prairies/High Plains)
In Edmonton, the climate is much drier and cooler for much of the year . Cumulus clouds are less frequent because there is less moisture in moisture in the air and weaker rising currents, Slies are often clear blue, with thin cirrus or gray stratus clouds instead. Cumulus clouds may form in the summer during thunderstorms, but the everyday puffy cumulus clouds ar rare. Their scarcity can remind us of Allah’s wisdom in distributing rain and clouds differently across the earth.
Enjoy the photographs even half as much as I enjoyed the memories.
