Yesterday morning began in a non characteristic manner, not my usual routine. For some unknown reason, after offering Fajr prayer, I opened Instagram, to find a most inspiring message. I message Alina’s daughters, Natasha and Sofea. Sofea obtained her veterinary degree from the University of Edinburgh. She and her husband live in Newcastle where she is practicing her profession. She communicates through Stories. I responded to one showing a happy get together with friends, and then in juxtaposition the horror of Gaza.
Me: The blend of joy and sorrow was powerful
She: Yes such mixed feelings this Eid and the Eids before.
Me: Mixed feelings are a blessing when you think upon it. Too much of either would be numbing.
She: This is true. Reminds me of a quote by Ibn Qayyim Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimabllah) writes, “The heart in its journey to Allah is like a bird. Love is its head, and fear ad hope are its two wings. When the heart is healthy, then the two wings will fly well. When the heart is cut off, the bird will die. When either of the two wings is damaged, the bird becomes vulnerable to every hunter and predator.”
Me: Alhamdullah . Whenever I see a bird I will remember this. Watching the bird fly I think on this, praying that I am on the journey to Allah.
I found this interchange to be reassuring and am so incredibly grateful for the wisdom imparted to me by Sofea. It is beyond belief that we should be in one another’s firmament. When a providence of this magnitude occurs I shake my head in wonder and say:
Me: It must be Allah (SWT)
They: Alhamdullah.
There are admittedly varying responses but the most frequent (even from nonbelievers) is Alhamdulillah.
The rest of yesterday was rather anticlimactic. I wrote the June 9 blog, relying quite heavily on the Artificial Intelligence found on my Chat 5 iPhone. Shamir instructed me on its use at my request. find it rather amusing to see the numerous Instagram ads aimed at people over 40 offering them courses that will teach them how to use Artificial Intelligence. They should just have a brilliant Personal Assistant like I do. Poor people having to rely on a silly course.
I went to breakfast, this time ordering the scrambled eggs. Mohan is crazy about Mojo Pojo scrambled eggs so I sent him a photo which you shall soon see.
Me: Look at my scrambled eggs. Bet you wish you were here. But you ain’t. Hahaha Apparently he has returned from his South Korea sojourn, although who knows?? I sent the photo to his son Shamir and this was our exchange.
Me: Sent this to your Dad. You know how he loves those eggs. I can be SO cruel. I will invite him for breakfast in exchange for an ownership interest in Kashmir. And with yours and mine we will have a controlling interest. Hahaha Today Kashmir. Tomorrow the world. The dream team.
Send him a GIF entitled. Teamwork makes the Dream work
Me: Power Nap time for me And for thee? Wait and see? Naps are free Don’t climb a tree or take a leak
He: Hope it s free Like a bee Or a cup of tea. I am a Napper Snapper
Me: You bounded back doing great. What a fate
He: Thank you mate.
Me: A little late for a date. But open the gate Not to hate.
He: Heart rate From a state with a clean slate.
Me: You have won. My dear son. You are a winner. Not a sinner.
Me: I am having a weird day Are You?
He: Kinda
Me: But I can still rhyme on time.
He: Like a dime.
Sent him a laughing voice message saying” Who started this ridiculous rhyming competition. It is driving me crazy. Well crazier.
He: Rhyming competition.
Me: Gif competition. Sticker competition. Avatar competition. It is endless. We are back in our sibling rivalry days.
Then I sent him two GIFs and then we had another GIF completion. I won that one. But changed the subject.
Me: So yesterday Nixon had a great idea. He said if eating at Mojo go at six.as they are not crowded then and it is more fun. And I get all kinds of attention. I am getting tired of my clothes but who cares?? Nude dining not allowed. Well I do not think so anyway. When in doubt – preferably dress preferably for success.
I then sent a photo. Dressed for success at Mojo Pojo.
He: Lovely
But the conversation continued
Me: My love for you is boundless Like the seas. But I cannot swim. Help
He: Wow is this Alexis or Shakespeare
Me: Alexis THE Shakespeare Nope THE real guy. Better than the original Bill. I know my Shakespeare.
He: Alexis McShaker
Knowing I had discussed sibling rivalry in the past, looked it up on the search engine. On March 28, 2025 I wrote, describing my relationship with Shamir.
“We discussed his communicating adroitness.
Me: It is confusing. I write to you on Instagram, on WhatsApp and I send you emails. What??????
He: Hahah We have 3 communication channels.
Me: You are the MOST popular. No one else has three.
He: Wow I won popular of the day.
Me: Definitely
He then sent me a GiF. The Schitt’s Creek guy saying “I’m wildly popular. Some might even venture to call me Beloved.”
Me: I sent the GIF to your two contenders – wonder what they will say. I get communicator of the day particularly if you throw in the blog. Shamir and I have constant competitions because we suffer from sibling rivalry. But we have worked it out. Decided the competition brings out the best in us, therefore, limit the competition by giving each other wins and having a lot of categories. It works.”
Something has gone wrong. We are back in the midst of sibling rivalry again. I did some research in March, learning that certain parental interventions could be effective. Unfortunately, Mohan would be incapable of that level of sophistication. We would have to call in outside help. Hahaha.
Later I thought more about it, deciding perhaps this playfulness between Shamir and I is something else, not at all sinister. We are like two kids , siblings close in age playing with one another. Neither Shamir nor I had that experience, for very different reasons. So we have it now. It is a gift, I do believe a gift from Allah (SWT)
We had a later conversation. We are getting together later this morning, he serving in his Personal Assistant capacity. I make lists of tasks to be completed. So I sent him this message,
Making the list. Checking it twice. Gonna find out who is naughty and who is nice. Hahah. Shamir responded: Santa’s Little Helper. I shot back: Santa’s Little Helper is an Elf. I am not an elf. I am myself. You Paper Muslims know nothing about Christmas. Either. Shamir sent a sticker of the Queen of Elfs. I answered back: I am Queen of Elfs. A Queen I have been. Then Shamir sent a GIF which will follow the blog. He definitely won GIF of the day.
It has been a decidedly unusual day to day. It began with my taking a Lyf view photo. It was sent as a morning greeting to my WhatsAppers
Me: The sky became my sea in this cityscape. Good morning.
Yasmin: Mashallah So beautiful
Me: Yes of course I miss my sunrises by the sea. In desperation I peered out the window and saw the clouds. Allah gave me a substitution.
In response she send a greeting. “Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the of the mind to think – Albert Einstein. Good morning.” I responded telling her that it is a great greeting and true, thanking her for the wisdom of the morning.
Vina responded to an earlier rain soaked photo speaking of the meaningful beauty intros quieter rain kissed beauty. That means a lot. There’s something comforting about knowing that others feel the same way about those softer, quieter moments. Not every sunrise needs to be dazzling to be meaningful. Sometimes the grey skies and gentle rain bring a kind of peace that bright colors never could. I hope your day holds more of that quiet beauty—even beyond the room and into the world (and kitchen).
After Fajr prays, at 6:10 my phone rang. I answered but unable to make a connection and the call back was not answered. This the message:
He: I don’t know where you are in the world now exactly, maybe morning or evening too.
Me: I am in Penang at a hotel called Lyf.
Hours later he responded. He: You know I actually read that I’m pregnant at first. 🤣 My sleep eyes were teasing me, had to open them well. 🤣
He said that it might have been a network problem and that we should try to connect later, We did. Me:I I am back from Physio. He asked if it was physiotherapy to which I responded that it was not psychotherapy., saying, I have years and years and years of psychotherapy. Bordering on decades of psychotherapy – centuries even. Hahaha.
On that cheerful note I shall conclude. Photos of the morning, a GIF, me dressed for success.
