Gratitude: Faith, Family, Hope

It is a very difficult time for our family right now. My mammo jaan passed away yesterday. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un ("We surely belong to Allah and to Him we shall return"). The eldest of my mom's siblings, he had gentle eyes, a warm smile, and a ready laugh. He was both quiet and social, caring and loving, and enjoyed a good conversation, the company of his family, and life itself. It's one of the hardest things to see our beloved elders getting old, suffering ailments, or passing on. They are our backbone. We rely on them to keep us steady, to keep us on course. Please keep my family in your prayers, iA I will do the same for yours. Here's a post from 2012, another year full of challenges, and my abiding gratitude for the deep embrace of family.This year has been the most difficult I’ve faced. Between parents’ illness and surgery, death in our extended family, and some things I don’t have the courage to write about yet, I was put to Allah’s test. Some days I’m not sure if I passed. But I’m standing, held together by faith, family, and hope. And for that I am so grateful.Without the deep embrace of my family in all its layers, there’s no way I could have gotten through. They formed such tight concentric circles around me, falling was out of the question. Each doing what they instinctively knew could help – unflinching shoulders to lean on, cry on; hands and heart held tight night or day; phone calls and emails of support and sustenance; prayers in overdrive and hugs in abundance; and all the practical things from cooking to babysitting, that make getting through trying times a little easier.Hard times are a fact of life. Getting through them is an act of faith. Having family like mine is a pact of love.