Followers

2:05 PM

Time waves at me and sniggers

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Magrudy's City Center and Dubai Mall branches have closed. Which would leave me where?

Was given my 30 day notice and working Ibn Battuta Mall's Branch until it end March 3rd, is where. I'm on borrowed time to find another job to support me and my kids.
But I saw it coming and made Dua for a chance at something new, and thus here it is, and I'm not sure what to do about it.
I'm applying my CV/Resume everywhere I think will likely work....


But there are the dreams and that niggling little voice who is never wrong and she knows it too.

They are telling me it's time to put words into action and do something to start the fulfillment of my Destiny. I've been talking about it to close family and friends for over a month now and even worked up enough courage to hint about it on my blog but you never can get anything started until you take a deep breath and risk it all.

You see I was afraid. I was afraid If I went and told you all my plans then there would be criticism, there would be discouragement, there would people that *gasp* expected me to live up to my declaration. I didn't want that pressure for something so precious to me. But then on the flip side of the coin you have encouragement, support and *gasp* someone who might read about it and hook you up!


So the time has come....

No wait, I need another moment to get this lump in the back of my throat down my suddenly parched esophagus.....

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*gulp*

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Ah, there we go, moving on.....


I'm going to build a Masjid (Mosque) / Islamic Community Center.

BUT

it will NOT be like any other masjid/ICC out there currently.
It will be insha'Allah the pure essence of Islam.
I want people to walk into there and breathe deeply and go "Yes, this is Islam".

It will have many features that are Humanitarian.
A new way never done in UAE to feed the Poor.
A way to shelter the victims of Violent acts.
A way to keep families together and solve marital conflict.
Bringing Dawa' to non-Muslims on a whole new level.
Learning the beauty of Islam for anyone in society.
A way to receive discounted healthcare.
A fun place to mind the children while their parents learn or pray.
A it will feature many attractions to bring people to the masjid 24 hours a day.
Yes 24 hours a day. A masjid should never be closed to shut out Allah's Mercy.



I've been working and designing and researching these past few months how to make it all work and come together.
Now I'm going to be approaching investors to join in. It's a big step to take but insha'Allah it will come together and I will find someone with the right Vision to understand how this will all work out.

I will build this brick by brick if I have to, but it will be done.

I had other plans yes that haven't worked out so far but none of them have I felt so strongly about than this one. I know this is what Allah wants me to work on, and I'm ready for it. None of my other plans and ideas had a good purpose you see. It was a plan to mostly help me. It would be MY Business. Now I'm making something for Others. It will be YOUR MASJID. For Allah. To WORSHIP HIM.

I beg Allah to make me His tool for goodness in this life and this project will be just that, a tool to spread the Mercy of Allah.

So now I have to figure out a way to make this happen, while still providing for my family on a daily basis.
I'll be updating you all on updates for how it's coming along and when I get a website for it.

Until then I only ask for your Dua that this comes true and will benefit those who really need it.

intelligent thoughts (4)

12:50 AM

Suicidal Depression

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Have you or someone you know been close to the edge? That dark abyss there is no returning from. Staring off that massive edge wondering if you have the nerve to jump or the nerve to back away and go back to life. Both take extraordinary amounts of will power. Yes it takes a lot of power to walk away from suicide. To not give into that seductive whisper of peace for eternity.

What can you do if you're on that edge?

-Talk to someone who cares about you deeply. A wife, a husband, a parent, a friend, a relative, the police if need be, anyone who is willing to listen to you and take you seriously.
-Have someone around you to keep you company for 24 hours or longer until you feel free from the edge.
-Explain frankly that you want to kill yourself and you want them to prevent you from this.
-Realize you don't really want to die, you just want to stop the pain, anxiety, stress, chaos, depression, and agony.
-You have a problem and it needs to be fixed for you to feel you can live.
-Work with people on how to fix this problem in small manageable steps, or to get through your pain in small steps.
-The solution may take time to work itself out but with determination and obviously the instinct to survive and live it will work out.
-If the first person you talk to doesn't help you, find someone else.
-Don't worry about going to work or school or taking on the responsibilities you have for a good few hours while you find someone to talk to. If you have kids find someone to watch them immediately. Anyone trustworthy will do.
-It is more important to take care of your mental well being NOW so you can be there for those who count on you another day.
-If you feel counseling will help you take that step to find some. If you've been that route before without benefit try to use the network of people and friends you do have to find solutions for your problems.
-Search the internet for solutions and ideas if need be. Remember some people don't HAVE any friends.
-And above all: DO NOT KILL YOURSELF, you are loved, if not by anyone in this world, than by God who Created you, and made you for a purpose.

Many times SADLY people try to reach out in their suicide attempts. AND ARE IGNORED! Their sadness, depression, and pain are swept aside. These people are too busy with their own lives to be overly concerned with yours. It happens all too often, resulting in the tragic loss of one life, and perhaps several more with them.
If someone you know or a random stranger even tells you they are suicidal:
-Take them seriously.
-Offer to stay with them until the feeling passes, talking out their problems offering solutions where you can.
-Try to get help if you are unable to assist them
-Call anyone from their family or friends that they are willing to talk to about their problems.
-Call police if need be if it is serious and critical
-Remove any pills, sharp objects, unsafe locations from the person's immediate area.
-Show honest sympathy not just wary concern.
-If it's someone you are close to then hug them or make them feel special and loved in some way.
-If you are called on the phone with someone wanting to harm themselves then keep them on the phone as long as need be, getting their location, and how you can find them or someone near them so in case the phone line goes dead you can do your best to track them and make sure they are safe. Try to calm them and help them find a solution.
-Try NOT to take anything they say personally, life is stressing them out not just ONE person (you), so try to put aside your personal feelings of anger at anything they say.
-If you honestly cannot sympathise or help the person do NOT say "Well, I just don't know how to help you really..." Even if it's true, it will make the person feel more depressed. Pretend if you have to until you can get them in touch with someone else reliable that CAN help them.

Another important aspect of helping those with suicidal/depressed thoughts.
FOLLOW UP!
Depression and suicidal thoughts often do not go away over night.
Do what you can of the following to continue to support that person:

-Call them regularly, daily, twice a week, weekly etc...
-E-mail them if they are far away.
-Visit them if they are near.
-Bring gifts that make them feel happy and valued.
-Focus conversations away from depression/suicide attempt. Last thing you want is them thinking dark thoughts again. Try to be just enough upbeat to make them feel better without smothering them in "thick candy-sweetness".
-Ofter to help them with their problems, watch their kids for a bit to let them relax and unwind, perhaps help them clean the house, do those tedious chores, study for that awful exam they were dreading, anything that helps them find mental relief.
-If they started therapy ask them how they are liking it, are they feeling better yet?
-Also if they seem withdrawn from society or people try to take them on outings that are nature focused, to the park through the woods. Nature is peaceful and beautiful. AND CALMING. Sometimes just leaving a person's house can make them feel better. Somewhere where there is no pressure for them to be something they aren't.
-Do anything you CAN do to help them. DO NOT let their misery take over YOUR life but be supportive as you can. Your role is not to CURE them just to support them so they will think twice before crawling back to that edge.

PLEASE try to remember that just because someone is highly religious doesn't guarantee they will not try to harm themselves. Everyone has their weak days and weak points. Don't tell them "You are "insert religion here", so you are not allowed to kill yourself." That is stressing the negative and will likely cause the opposite effect you're looking for. Be positive. If it helps to appeal to their religious side remind them of their Creator and the Mercy within. Stay positive. Remind them of all the things life is worth living for.
Be an honestly good person. You may have saved someone's life. Follow up on people you haven't spoken to for a long while and make sure they are okay. You never know when you'll make someone's lonely day sparkle.

intelligent thoughts (9)

1:00 AM

"Cap'n on deck, line up you sea dogs!"

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: , , , , , , , ,


Pick your Captain, Any Captain! Make him or her yourself for a day, week, month (you know as long as it keeps working...) and then look around you. Your home has now been transformed into a sprawling pirate ship. With full rigging.

Imagine with me the billowing sails in the color of your dear living room curtains. Come on open the window! Let in that fresh salty sea breeze! Turn sprinklers on the front lawn for added effect of waves crashing. Your living room is now the main top deck, kitchen has been turned into a galley. Enjoy counting your plunder in the Captain's Quarters aka Master Bedroom. Computer Room or Hobby Room can become the Helm. Bathroom naturally is the Brig. Children's rooms are for the crew. Please choose your crew wisely.

Never can tell where loyalties lie and watch out for stowaways on slumber party nights. Once you have your mixed crew of imaginary and real people assembled. Assign them tasks.
Older crew members can swab the decks. Younger crew can tie down the rigging. If you're all alone in your home then order yourself around and don't be lazy with the whip. A good crack here and there will set them straight.
Don't forget in your Home Management Notebook you can set it up as a Captain's Logbook. With sections on Crew, Plunder, Treasure, Ship Maintenance, Treasure Map Locations, a listing of qualified doctors to see upon getting stabbed or shot, you know, the basics.
The best part of Pirating is searching for hidden treasure. Now I don't want you to go digging holes in your yards. I want you to clear out your junk and throw away the fool's gold and search for the crown jewels. Be MERCILESS! You're a Pirate!
For the higher imaginative Captains you can add your own scenarios while you go along, either of swashbuckling treasure hunting, make like you are a hidden spy on an enemy ship and are rooting for clues, or romantic escapades on the high seas... the choices are as large as your imagination...

Of course make any dawdlers walk the plank at sword point. Or better yet arm them with a swisher and mop and lock them in the Brig. HAR HAR HAR!!!!

The best is to have fun while making your home Ship Shape.
(This Theme is a present to myself for my Birth Month of April and my determination to do some major Spring Cleaning this month...cause I don't know about you mates but that first pic just gives me goosebumps, an adrenaline rush, and a silly grin! Savvy?)

intelligent thoughts (3)

6:08 PM

Welcome to the Lobby!

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: , , , , , , , ,

Do you love the look of clean fresh spacious Hotels?
Do you dream your own home looked like this?
I do too!
Part of being an imaginative person I like to sometimes playact different themes to cleaning and manging my home. After a good three shows in a row of the Suite Life of Zach and Cody, I realized I could Play Hotel too.
I could manage my home as if it were a real hotel.
It's a fun way to get in the mood for cleaning.
Feel like sprucing up the Living Room? Think of it as the Hotel Lobby. Ensure that the seating is nicely arranged with plenty of throw pillows and a cleared off floor. Add some candles on the shelves. Even if no one but your imaginary friends enters your home you should still think of it as the first place a customer (visitor) will see when they enter your house. Most importantly when you come home and see a friendly interior you will feel more homey too.
When family enters treat them like a guest (umm if you keep your pretending to yourself, as I do, then just underplay the role) coming into stay the night. Give each on a secret name in your head. Greet them warmly as you would as the Receptionist. "Hello! Welcome home! How was your day? Glad you could make it!" Switch to Bell Hop mode if they are holding something. "Here allow me to help you with that." Or you can add imaginary guests as need be. Either way it will improve family relationships by having more respect flow between people. The customer is always right don't forget so swallow that sassy retort!
There are sooo many roles you can play with!

As you move through the house pretend you're the Housekeeping! Make the beds just so! Put a flower on the pillows! Envision how a Housekeeper acts (shouldn't be too hard ha ha!) and how they move around the room and what they clean to keep it tidy daily. Also realize the minimal things needed in a house to make it less cluttered. Use this imagery to help you focus on de-cluttering your home!


Hate scrubbing that bathroom? You can think of fun role playing for this. Regular Housekeeping, or for a funny twist if you like adding imaginary characters, you could be half way through the bathroom detail and then pull aside the curtain and reveal the "guest" is still in the shower and have a comedic scene of guest embarrassment and he/she runs off in a towel or perhaps turn it romantic (if these are your kinda thoughts) and join the guest for a little "mental" escapade Ohh la la while cleaning the tub (around your guest). Heh I told you I have active imaginations. ;)
Don't forget to change the folded towels!


Soon with a little (or a lot) of imagination, your home will shine!



Also for setting up a Home Notebook you can create dividers to match the theme of Hotel Personal. One area for Chef's Menus and one for In-House Tailor etc...
Hope these suggestions get the creative juices flowing~!
~My Calm Chaos

intelligent thoughts (10)

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