Happy Thanksgiving from AIF

Happy Thanksgiving!

from the

American Islamic Fellowship

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What Was Told, That
by Jalalu'l-din Rumi
translated by Coleman Barks

What was said to the rose that made it open was said to me here in my chest.

What was told the cypress that made it strong and straight, what was

whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made sugarcane sweet, whatever

was said to the inhabitants of the town of Chigil in Turkestan that makes them

so handsome, whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush like a human face, that is

being said to me now. I blush. Whatever put eloquence in language, that's happening here.

The great warehouse doors open; I fill with gratitude, chewing a piece of sugarcane,

in love with the one to whom every that belongs!

AIF Helps Family for Thanksgiving

The participants of the AIF Eid/Thanksgiving Celebration on Friday, November 20 raised money to benefit a family from the Garden of Gethsemane -http://rainbowcommuniyctr.org.

The result was the delivery of a very nice and big food basket with a gift card.

Thank you to all who attended and participated! A big thanks to Nadia and Melissa for helping AIF put this together!

Thanks for What?

Show gratitude to God. Any who is grateful does so to the profit of the soul; but if any is ungrateful, God is in no need; God is worthy of all praise. (Quran 31:12)

~~~~~
It's strange, but if put on the spot, many people seem to have a problem figuring out things for which they are thankful. Picture AIF's Thanksgiving/Eid dinner last Friday. We had a nice group of people and we decided to go around and tell a story that reflected thanks. Most of the people groaned and claimed they couldn't think of anything. However, as the conversation went on, everyone eventually discovered that their story came out very easily.

When I was going through a very difficult situation in my life, I used to have to force myself to think of five things for which I was thankful EVERY DAY. I had plenty to be thankful for, but was very caught up in my moment and pity for myself, so those wonderful things were seemingly few and far between. As I got into the habit more and more, I was able to find things to be thankful for all around me! I went from being a very negative drama queen to a much more positive, 'slightly less drama' queen. Perfection isn't my goal, but learning to see the good in the bleakest situation is.

When I find myself back in a situation where the things to be thankful for are once again pushed out of my line of vision, I look to inspiration to bring me back around to reality. One key tool is the Internet. Since I'm on the computer for a good chunk of my week, one of the easiest things to do is simply type in 'thankful' or some similar search term into my browser. One of my favorite sites, wikiHow, has a short, but nice guide on How to Be Thankful.

For what are you thankful?
How do you bring yourself back to reality when negative thoughts bring you down?

It's appropriate that Eid Al-Adha and Thanksgiving fall around the same time this year. Both holidays focus on giving thanks. As you celebrate one or both of these 'thanks-centered' holidays, remember to find something in your everyday to be thankful for, so you can have a thankful heart all year 'round.

~~~~~

Kelly
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com