Fresh air floats into the open window, the smell of green grass fills my nose, I am sorting and clearing out long forgotten spaces, the kids bring in flowers; we clean dusty corners and wipe away cob-webs. The birds sing in the garden and the winter clothes are ranged: the house gets beautified just like nature beautifies itself outside, alhamdulillah:
that’s spring, I guess. Subhanallah.
Happy April!
If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom
like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society,
will benefit from our peace.Thich Nhat Hanh
Banner inspired by: Elise
Winter came quickly this year, with a heavy thunderstorm, temperatures below minus ten (we still have no fluent water at home) and a lot of snow (in Morocco a 20cm is a lot of snow already).
This is early and not usual for our area as we have only a few days like these mostly in january and february.
But alhamduillah, the wood for the chimney was piled in front of the door and the woolen and warm clothes ready for snow – so this welcoming winter weekend was a cold but joyful one, subhanallah, a constant shift from inside to out, from fire to ice, from activity to rest, and back, all day long. This is the rhythm of winter, I guess, a joyful dance between contrasts and a lot of gratitude for the little things that provide comfort. Alhamdulillah.
Happy December, friends !
Late autumn and winter: a time to return inside, to gather at home, to cuddle and to snuggle.
I love this time of the year, when the skies are ice-blue, the air crispy cold and when home becomes a real castle against the harshness of the season, subhanallah.
For me this is always the time to get out special books for read-aloud in front of the chimney, it is the time for hot drinks, dimmed light and candles. And it is also the time for redecorating spaces and making everything a bit more cosy and comfortable.
While reading our favourite books, I love indulging in childhood memories and to wander into my special girly land of dreams. I love to share these stories with my children and to wave such beautiful tales about our own life.
Our most beloved winter reads are mainly old classics that have snowy themes, like many of Swedish author’s Astrid Lindgren books, such as “Guck mal Madita, es schneit”, the books from Elsa Beskow, from Lena Anderson and other stories with magical drawings about heal worlds full of harmony.
In the early mornings, before working on my laptop an when having the precious chance to have some me-time, I always and still love learning more about child-education but also about how to heal with the herbs we’ve recently collected and about gardening in general. I enjoy dreaming about what to plant in spring and how to develop our farming skills, inchaallah.
My actual favourite books are:
Wolf-Dieter Storl “Der Kosmos im Garten” and “Kräuterkunde”
Rebeca Wild „Genügend gute Eltern“
Christian Signol „Marie des Brébis“ (wonderful biography of a simple shepherdess),
Lena Anderson/Christina Björk „Linnéas Jahrbuch“
What are your preferred winter-reads?
we’re going right into winter, early this year:
with first snow, a deep deep cold, cut-off electricity, frozen pipes and all the harshness of the cold season.
But thanks God for hot water, fire in the chimney, warm clothes and some sweets with tea – the simple blessings of a cosy wintry home, alhamdulillah.
wishing you warmth and the bliss of finding comfort in the everyday! love.
We spent ‘Id el adha at grandpa’s home with the whole family, as every year, alhamdulillah: doing the community prayer in the open air, eating traditional porridge, slaughtering the sheep together, enjoying the good food, visiting friends and praising God.
The next day we already left the celebrations and drove away on a little holiday, subhanallah, first towards Marrakech, meeting dear ones, and then up and away to Europe, where we’ve spent the last week.
happy blessed ‘Id to all the Muslim ummah
and hugs to all our friends and families on this special day!
(chocolate mud cake with halal marshmallows and sweets, bismillah)
Blessed day of Arafa to all Muslims and may Allah accept the hajj of all the pilgrims in Makkah.
Salam aleikoum and peace with the worlds!
The togetherness of Muslims during ‘Id is much similar to the togetherness every Friday during prayer and eating couscous as a family.
What are the memories of the past weeks? What did I learn from Ramadan?
Which of those blessings am I able to carry on with me into my daily life?
Can I manage to take at least parts of this increased worship into my everydays?
Are we able, all together, to lighten the world with the peaceful, silent, deep insights we hopefully had during the past blessed month?
Are we able to make this world a better place, all together, every one of us in our own surroundings, just by being the best Muslims we ever were?
Ya Rabb, help us to keep the high level of spirituality far beyond Ramadan.
Help us staying steadfast in your worship,
and help us living in real kindness and love with our brothers and sisters in faith and humanity.
All together. For a peaceful world.
Blessed Friday and blessed month of Shawwal!
.bliss. alhamdulillah.
