Forget “New year’s Day”, it is these bright sunshiney days of late summer that are full of new beginnings. Two of the offspring are embarking on new phases of their education, one on a new level and another whose school moved to the next town, so for the first time ever one of my brood is riding the school bus. This morning I read in the local rag of a mom whose son is starting kindergarten and she waxed lyrical about her baby being “all grown up now” and how it tugs at the maternal heart-strings. That feeling never really goes away, but you have to give them their space, more and more.
The other new beginning, of course, is the dawning of the blessed month of Ramadan. A bit of a double whammy, perhaps, for all the kids and students (not to mention the teachers and other staff – a big shout out to them all!) who are fasting on the first day of school, but we pray that it will bring them multiple rewards and strengthen their faith. Other bloggers have spoken of the challenges of fasting in summer heat; my first ever Ramadan coincided with June and the longest days of the year, but that was a long time ago! With Allah’s help we can make it, and let us spare a thought (not to mention prayers and sadaqah) for those with little food in the arid regions of the world.
Oh, and this is my first “real” blog post. Another new venture is underway, in sha Allah.
