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[ Sunday, February 08, 2004 ]

 

Family, Halaqa, Sunday School, & the MSA

I had a fun Jummah...My crazy cousin drove down from Davis to visit me. We ate, talked, laughed, and sang a lot. It was great and I really needed that! We also went to a bookstore and art gallery (I love art galleries!). I saw this amazing painting. It was abstract, but as soon as I looked at it, I totally saw a woman wearing hijab, in the sujood position...and I guess it was just me, b/c no one else could see that. It seemed so obvious to me though! I really appreciate art, and going to art galleries motivates me to get back to my own artwork.

On Saturday I went with my dad to visit family. I think he was a little disappointed because I was so drowsy and didn't feel like talking as much as I usually do. We hadn't done anything together in a while. I had a chance to have a long conversation with my younger cousin, S, while I was at her house. She's in fourth grade now (and here I thought she was in second grade! Man, time flies!) and she told me about the reading program she's in for advanced readers. She also told me about the new girl she befriended who is (for lack of better term) a "little person." She told me about how her "little" friend felt so hurt when the other students laughed at her "little" father, and how she had to comfort her. She made sure the teacher knew about it, and the teacher lectured the students and made them apologize to her friend. "They're human beings too." she told me, "It's not their fault they were just born like that." I felt so proud of her! Next, to my shock, she told me about a third grader who came to school with a gun in his backpack...The school authorities just happened to find out about it when a student told on him. He was expelled from the school. It's not like my cousins go to a bad school. I attended that school for a year, and it is a very reputable school. Things have just become so scary with all this school violence.

Today was halaqa and teaching Sunday School day again...We had had last weekend off because of Eid. In halaqa we went over the reading from The Lives of Man by Imam al-Haddad...We had finished reading about the third life (in the graves). Insha Allah I'll post my outline for it within the next couple of weeks. We also went off on tangents like we always manage to. We were talking about Dajjal, and got onto the topic of internet and technology. Sis A talked about how cell phones and instant messaging have messed up relationships between brothers and sisters because although we're not physically alone together, there's no one else listening in on or reading our conversations, so we don't have a third party present....So we've lost the whole modesty thing. She said she knows a lot of people who met online and are now married. She brought up the whole thing about how when two people are alone together, the third one with them is Shaytan. I always think about that. But it's true what they say about forming and revising your opinions as you grow...I know I've changed since getting more involved in the Muslim community and starting college. I guess I wasn't quite myself today...haven't been feeling quite right for a while. Sis M noticed it, and asked me after halaqa if everything's alright. I guess I'm just tired of hearing the same silent accusations, implied or imagined.

Sunday School was fun, even though I was teaching by myself since my poor sis was at home sick (Please send some duas her way!). It was great seeing all the cute kids again. Masha Allah they are so inquisitive! And they try so hard to please us. I hope they never lose their innocence. Last time we had finished beading tasbeehs (which they absolutely loved!), so today we started off class doing dhikr with our tasbihs, which they seemed to really enjoy. Next week, I won't be teaching b/c of the conference, but the week after that insha Allah I'm going to bring some Dawud Wharnsby Ali songs for us to all sing along to. They were so excited at the idea of singing. Alhamdulillah, they're making some good progress on memorizing the Arabic alphabet and the meaning of Surah al-Fatiha.

The MSA West conference starts this Friday, and I'm really excited about it. It's going to be a crazy week at school preparing for it, and I've also volunteered to help during the conference as well. I wonder if I'll even get to hear the speeches. Allahu Alim. At least insha Allah I'll get some thawab for helping out, and I can always use some more of that.

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