Quarantine Diaries: Missing Eeeverybody

I haven’t seen much of my family, but still have been grateful enough to talk to them daily and see them now and again from the end of their front gardens.  I miss my parent and siblings and my uncles who I am close to.

This week my sisters have been dropping of treats: cake, mithai, chocolate. It’s been nice to see their faces. It’s painful that I can’t hug or invite them in, but I am grateful to be thought of and to see them go out of their way. Even my dad who has been quite careful, popped around one day to see my kids from the front garden and ask who was fasting.

I’ve been listening to the fab live lectures from Cambridge Muslim College in the evening while I cook. And one of the recent ones was by Shaykh Abdul Murad Hakim and was about seclusion (based on Imam Al Ghazali's Ihya, The Courtesies of Seclusion). I thought an apt topic for the times:

One of the things the Shaykh talks about is friendship and the need for friends and companionship, how it is good for us to spend time relaxing with friends for part of our time, especially when the friends are good people and lead to or encourage good deeds.

It made me realise how much I have been missing my sisters and friends and fun and relaxing sisterly company (as opposed to being surrounded by hyper kids and grumpy teens all day).  Life right now has been way too much work, house work, schooling and trying to catch up on sleep. Fun and relaxation are missing in action.  This week I have taken leave from work, to slow down, enjoy my worship and to try and rest and do some fun things with the kids and for myself (think craft and creativity)

So just wanted to appreciate all my family, my sisters, my lovey friends and those that stop by here to read. I look forward to a time when I can my sisters over lunch at mums or my friends for coffee or dessert insh’Allah.