قارئة الفنجان

جلست والخوف بعينيها
تتأمل فنجاني المقلوب
قالت يا ولدي لا تحزن
فالحب عليك هو المكتوب
يا ولدي قد مات شهيداً
من مات فداء للمحبوب
يا ولدي

بصرت ونجمت كثيراً
لكني لم أعرف أبداً فنجاناً يشبه فنجانك
بصرت ونجمت كثيراً
لكني لم أعرف أبداً أحزاناً تشبه أحزانك
مقدورك أن تمضي أبداً في بحر الحب بغير قلوع
وتكون حياتك طول العمر كتاب دموع
مقدورك أن تبقى مسجوناً بين الماء وبين النار
فبرغم جميع حرائقه
وبرغم جميع سوابقه
وبرغم الحزن الساكن فينا ليل نهار
وبرغم الريح .. وبرغم الجو الماطر والإعصار
الحب سيبقى يا ولدي أحلى الأقدار
يا ولدي

بحياتك يا ولدي امرأة
عيناها سبحان المعبود
فمها مرسوم كالعنقود
ضحكتها أنغام وورود
والشعر الغجري المجنون
يسافر في كل الدنيا
قد تغدو امرأة يا ولدي يهواها القلب
هي الدنيا

لكن سماءك ممطرة
وطريقك مسدود مسدود
فحبيبة قلبك يا ولدي
نائمة في قصر مرصود
من يدخل حجرتها .. من يطلب يدها
من يدنو من سور حديقتها .. من حاول فك ضفائرها
يا ولدي مفقود .. مفقود
ستفتش عنها يا ولدي في كل مكان
وستسأل عنها موج البحر وستسأل فيروز الشطآن
وتجوب بحاراً وبحارا .. وتفيض دموعك أنهارا
وسيكبر حزنك حتى يصبح أشجارا

وسترجع يوماً يا ولدي
مهزوماً مكسور الوجدان
وستعرف بعد رحيل العمر
بأنك كنت تطارد خيط دخان
فحبيبة قلبك يا ولدي
ليس لها أرض أو وطن أو عنوان
ما أصعب أن تهوى امرأة يا ولدي
ليس لها عنوان

Pure Satisfaction!

After my father's passing, my mom has constantly been searching for a 'cause' to support, in order to help fill her void. So, last week, she went to this place called 'International Refugee Relief Center' here in our city. It's a center where volunteers come to assist refugees in settling with a smooth transition here in America. She had her orientation last week and loved it. So a couple of days ago, she asked me to join the organization with her. I decided to do so, and yesterday we went to go meet the family we are mentoring and helping.

The US government takes care of refugees for their first four months here, after which they have to find jobs and start settling on their own. Since it's a sort of 'welfare' system-they live in very, very rough areas of town with other refugees for their first four months. The family we are sponsoring is a young couple from Nepal. They are Bhutanese by birth, but were forced into exile at very young ages due to political and ethnic unrest and have been living in Nepal their whole lives. They have a young 4-yr old daughter, and they are accompanied by 3 of their brothers/cousins. They are college educated (in Nepal), and speak minimal English. They are all amazing musicians as well! They sing and play the guitar and piano beautifully. Their home is nearly empty, except for their guitars and pianos! All six of them are living in a tiny, simple 2-bedroom apartment. They are a few of the sweetest, purest, and happiest people we have ever met--and we've met a lot of people, so that's saying A LOT. They have almost nothing, and yet they are truly happy because they have each other! My mother and I went to meet them for the first time yesterday.

We will be mentoring them and helping them as much as we can--taking them around the city, helping them find jobs, helping them perfect their English, giving them clothes...and helping them in whatever way we can. I can not describe the satisfaction my heart experienced after meeting these people. I am so truly excited to give them my whole heart and everything else I can possibly give. I truly felt like I was fulfilling my human purpose by opening my heart to them. I can't wait to learn from them as well! From their culture to their simplicity to their genuineness, they have already made a huge impact on me. I took the first step yesterday, but I have absolutely realized that I will be spending the rest of my life doing this, because I will be incomplete without the amazing fulfillment of using my life to serve others who need me!

A life lived without giving is not a life at all, for the collective human spirit thrives only on the act of 'giving' to each other and strengthening our communal bond in the human race!

Einstein said it best: "Only a life lived for others is worth living."

It Runs In My Blood :-)

So, today, I decided to take a hand at what my father spent his whole LIFE enjoying: the stock market! My father was an avid investment analyst who owned an investment advisory company. He would invest clients' money in various stocks (per his own 40+years of hands-on experience with the market), and watch them grow!

Well, I've always had a deep love for this field of work, as my father loved it with all of his heart! It was never 'work' for him, he truly enjoyed every moment of working in the NYSE. He was able to work from anywhere in the world--whether it was in his pajamas in his home office or sitting on the shores of Pular Kelor beach in Indonesia. For this reason, he always had a great passion to pass his knowledge on to me, his only child. He always felt that life could be lived so richly as an investor, mainly because one loses no time with his friends and family while working. Sadly, my young mind was not cognizant of the benefits of his knowledge before he passed away, so I lost the opportunity to inherit his wealth of knowledge (perhaps the most valuable of all worldly wealth!)

Since his passing, however, I've always felt a deep connection to the stock market--following it whenever I can. It runs in my blood, and it is an immense part of my father's legacy. So, today, I decided to get my hands dirty in the market, once and for all! I already have all of his accounts, but I never had the courage to touch them. Today, I bought some shares of a stock, and have been refreshing the page for 2 hours now :-) Subhanallah, Allah shows us in His ways--the stock I bought went up 8.24% after I bought it! I have a strong feeling the market runs in my blood, and I plan to live it up to its full potential, inshAllah :-)

Wondering...why?

I can't stop thinking these days.

I wonder why...

...it's easier for us to push each other away than it is for us to come closer together?

...it's easier to look the other way than it is to confront injustices?

...it's easier to keep our walls up than it is for us to open our hearts?

I decided there are a couple reasons:

• Because this temporary world is all one. big. TEST. It's supposed to be easier for us to take the unprincipled, crooked route--because God is testing the purity of our souls, if we are of the few that are willing to choose the demanding and obstreperous path, which is also the straight one.
  

• Because humans are naturally weak beings, unwilling to take risks that may jeopardize our security, our feelings, our 'images' in society. Without faith--and without the guidance and strength of the Lord--we have no capacity to rise above the sickly societal norms that we are surrounded by. By making decisions and choosing paths that are unpopular and against the heavy, negative tides of society, our minds, bodies, AND souls grow stronger.
  

One who remains a stranger in this world (for the right reasons) is truly a permanent citizen of Jannah!!

I leave you with a few words of wisdom (though unrelated, entirely relevant in any forum):

"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself." - Wayne Dyer

الحياة… ليست كما تبدو دائما

A BEAUTIFUL post from ilsul6ana:
http://ilsul6ana.wordpress.com

Life is simply never what it seems.

Don't be fooled by what you see on the surface.


نظرات وقحة

جلست الفتاة الشابة في المقهى بانتظار خطيبها
الذي اتفق معها ان يلاقيها بعد انتهاء العمل
ارتشفت الشاي وجالت بنظرها في المكان
فرأت شابا ينظر اليها ويبتسم
لم تعره انتباها واستمرت في شرب الشاي
بعد دقائق اختلست نظرة بطرف عينيها
الى حيث يجلس الشاب فرأته مازال ينظر اليها
وبنفس الابتسامة , تضايقت جدا من هذه الوقاحة
وعندما جاء خطيبها اخبرته
نهض الخطيب واتجه نحو الشاب
ولكمه لكمة قوية في الوجه اطاحته ارضا
نظرت الفتاة الشابة نظرة إعجاب الى رجولة خطيبها
ودفاعه عنها في مقابل نظرات الشاب الوقحة
وخرجا من المقهى يدا بيد
بعد لحظات نهض الشاب بمساعدة النادل
ووضع نظارته السوداء على عينيه
ورفع عصاه وتحسس طريقه الى خارج المقهى


حيث يذهب الجميع

قرر ان يجرب اللذة الحرام لاول مرة
فاستقل الطائرة الى المدينة الشهيرة بلذاتها
واستقل تاكسي من المطار وقال للسائق مع غمزة
ان يأخذه الى حيث يذهب كل الناس
وأراح رأسه على الكرسي وأخذ يفكر
فيما ينتظره من مغامرات سمع عنها
طول عمره ولم يجربها
ونساء لاتراهن الا في الافلام السينمائية
فكر وفكر حتى احس بالسيارة قد توقفت
نظر حوله فرأى المكان غريبا ولايشبه توقعاته بشيئ
وعند سؤاله سائق التاكسي عن المكان
اجابه ببرود انهم في مقبرة المدينة
غضب الرجل وصاح بسائق التاكسي
انه يريد الذهاب الى حيث حياة الليل والنوادي
وليس المقبرة
اجابه السائق بان ليس جميع الناس
يقصدون النوادي الليلية
ولكن الجميع بدون استثناء ياتون الى المقبرة
رجع الرجل الى المطار
وركب طائرته عائدا الى بيته وعائلته


الحسناء

جلس في الحديقة العامة على كرسي
وجال بنظره في الارجاء البعيدة
يراقب الناس ومايفعلونه
البعض يلعب ، والبعض يقرأ ، وآخر أخذته غفوة
بدا يحس بالسأم
عندما شاهد من بعيد إمراة
ذات قوام جميل ومشية كالطاووس
لم يتمكن من رؤية ملامح وجهها
ولكنه تحسر على جمالها
وقارنها بزوجته المملة التي تشبه العسكر
راقب مشيتها وهي تمشي باتجاهه
عندما لاحظ طفلا بجانبها
تحسر وقال هنيئا له زوجها على هذه الحسناء
وكم خجل من نفسه عندما اقتربت المراة منه
واكتشف انها زوجته وبجانبها طفله .


الحياة المثالية

جلست في بيت صديقتها الواسع والفخم ذو الاثاث الغالي
واخذت تحدثها عن كم هي محظوظة بزواجها
من رجل اعمال منحها عيشة الملوك
بيت كالقصر ، وحمام سباحة ، وسيارة تخطف الابصار
وخدم وحشم ، ونقود وتسوق ، وسفر الى الخارج
ابتسمت صاحبة البيت
التي كانت تضع نظارة سوداء سميكة
لهذا الكلام واستمعت الى صديقتها
وهي تكمل مدحها لحياتها وتعدد اسباب سعادتها
وكم تمنت لو انها تحظى بنفس حياتها
انصرفت بحسرتها وخلعت صاحبة البيت النظارة
حيث ظهرت آثار الكدمات السوداء تحت عينيها
من أثر الضرب
الحياة… ليست كما تبدو دائما

THIS Is Why I love MY Country!!!!!

THIS is why I love this country. It may have its fair share of issues, but this shows the pure essence of the human spirit of America:

LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE!

and enjoy e.v.e.r.y single moment you're gifted from God.

LOVE IT!!!! That couple is starting their marriage out in a wonderful way :-)

So tired of BS!

Sorry, but I'm not taking it anymore, and I'm DEFINITELY not gonna be sorry about it!

In other news...I am SO addicted to this amazing song of Carole Samaha's :-) Love herrrrr!