Thanks!

First of all, I'm thankful for enough time to write a blog post!

I'm thankful for these developments in the world.

As Taboos Ease, Saudi Girl Group Dares to Rock - Robert F. Worth

18 female suicide bombers turn themselves in to U.S. troops - China View

and bittersweetly, I'm very thankful the main troubles in Mumbai came to an end.

A Day of Reckoning as India Toll Tops 170 - Somini Sangupta and Keith Bradsher

I'm thankful for happy news.

Even in tough times, blessings abound - Jay Bookman

Atlanta Institutions Come Together to Honor Human Rights Efforts - Center for Civil and Human Rights

Here's some good news -- for a change - Robert L. Jamieson Jr.

I'm thankful for people working together.

Thanksgiving Together - Christina Kremer

And creatively using talents (and technology) to help people.

Peace in our time? Turning virtual swords into ploughshares - Cara Bonnett

Whether one is religious or not, finding things one is thankful for can provide the basis for making the day the best it can be. Every day, no matter what, no matter the situation, I look for 5 things for which I am thankful. Not just around Thanksgiving, but every day. It has given me much comfort in very dark times.

I can always be thankful for my belief that God provides in good times and in not so good times.
I am thankful for family and friends.
I am thankful for waking up every day.
I am thankful for the beauty and love I can find everywhere in the world.
I am thankful for the ability to constantly find something to learn.

I leave today with this thought from Abraham Lincoln.

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

~~~~~~

Kelly
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com

God Provides

"And how many creatures do not provide for themselves! God provides for it and for you. God is the Hearer, the Knower." Quran 29:60

We all want something...prosperity of some sort, success, happiness, etc... Our patience to get to that point can be short as our dreams of reaching our goals begin to take over reality and reality becomes an obstacle that can sometimes be overwhelming. Somewhere in the back of our minds, if we'll just listen is a small, steady voice guiding us and cheering us to the next step that will bring us either closer to what we want or what will make us prosper in our own way. Are we listening?

God listens to us and knows our very souls and our deepest desires. Sometimes we are sure the desires we have at the present are the only things that can help us reach happiness in life. God knows if this is true. We simply have to listen, as well. We have to be observant.

It may be painful to start down another path after forging forward on another one for so long, but look, listen and feel. The path God is showing to you may not be the path we think we want or a path that looks like the easiest one, but if we let go and have faith, the path is where we will find what will make us happy.

Is there just one path? I don't believe there is just one path, but there is a way, depending on choices we have made in life, that can use our past, to help us in the present and move us forward in the future. What if the path seems wrong? Then look and know God is there to show you the truth. Muslims pray for God to lead them on the straight path. Know that when you are on that path that things will happen and in a way that does not require you to compromise yourself or your beliefs.

As we move towards Thanksgiving, think about and look for the things God has provided to you. Even if you are in a very difficult situation, look for the tools you have to help you make it through that situation. Whether it is a physical item or even just a coping mechanism. Think about each of these things as something provided to you to help you. When you feel nothing can go right, pull yourself towards prayer, read the Qu'ran and/or try to think of at least one thing to thank God for and give thanks for that. You may find you have many things to help you at that moment.

God is there and is guiding you towards prosperity. God hears your prayers, your thanks, your cries for help and God knows which way will lead you to the goals that will be best for your life. Keep an open mind and heart and trust that no matter the outcome, something good is waiting.

~~~~~~

Kelly
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com

Some Good News?

Sometimes I fall into the trap of reading the bad news out there...not the hard news or the tragic, but the bad news where people just spew hate and vitriol for no good reason and pen a column that has no real point but to incite more hate and anger. Sometimes I will read fairly positive columns, but then am sucked into the comments where the readers...a term I use lightly at times because of the comments made...twist the message of the author into the strangest things.

I understand that one cannot only focus on "sunshine news" that ignores reality, but it can get tiring if reality starts to pull one under into a chasm of negativity.

So, to combat the negativity I've been seeing and feeling all around lately, I'm going to post the Optimist's Creed and the opening chapter of the Quran. They both shine a light for me when the darkness of things around seem overwhelming.

~~~~~

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, and expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

~~~~~

Praise be to God, the Sustainer of the worlds!
The compassionate, the merciful!
Master on the day of reckoning!
You only do we worship, and to You do we cry for help.
Guide us on the straight path,
The path of those to whom You have been gracious; with whom you are not angry, and who go not astray.

The Opening - Quran 1:1-7

~~~~~

Kelly
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com