The Many Voices of Lauryn Hill, an NPR article...Great read

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128149135



"The feeling that you get [when you hear me sing], I get first."
-Lauryn Hill

reflection...

Subhan'Allah, for the past month and a half since my car accident, my life totally took a turn.  Everything that was normal or common in my life or routine, stopped.  I stayed at home and rarely went out, usually just for therapy or chiropractor appointments, doctor appointments and the 4 times I was hospitalized.  I have been out of the office all this time, being blessed with an awesome employer that allowed me to work from home whenever I was able to without being in too much pain.  Thankfully I didn't have any external damages, but what's more painful is internal damage.  Nerve damage in my neck which effects all of my limbs and head to toe and fingers, emotional strain, physical fatigue and increased time being alone.  A lot of great things came out of this hard experience I'm going through.  Pain is weakness leaving the body, so this is making me physically stronger, Alhamdulillah.  As Rumi says, "Suffering is a gift.  In it is hidden mercy."  I pray I'm being cleansed for the wrongs I have done in my life.  The pain has been so immense that at at times I didn't know how I could survive or get through it, but I did.  Such is life.  It hurts, its full of pain and heartache, but we get through it and we survive.  This experience helped me realize who were my real friends and who were just keeping me around for their benefit or convenience or advantage.  This helped me filter out who I need to keep around and who not to.  This experience has broken me in so many ways and when the devil tries to get at me to depress me or make me feel bad, I really struggle to stay on top of it by reminding myself of the Creator's infinite mercy.  I can't imagine what people go through who have it so much worse than I.  My situation is nothing compared to a lot of other people out there, yet it is still something.  This is the most humbling for me.  I never have experienced such a low point in my life to where I lost most of everything, but the things that I do still have are the most meaningful.  Trust in the Divine, increased strength, experience and most importantly of all-Gratitude are what keeps me going.

I needed this vent session and to pour out my thoughts that I've kept bottled up inside all this time.  Phew...gotta unload...Peace.

"Better to avoid the poison altogether than to heal from the damage it causes."

Thats a great quote in reference to the toxic people in your life who don't care about you as they claim to or lie constantly and manipulate for their own advantages and selfish ways.  Yep, this one's personal.

dose of random, as usual

All praise be to the Most High for His infinite mercy and grace.  It has been quite some time since I've put fingers on keys, pen on paper, thoughts as prose, etc.  My last post is when I got in a car accident and since then I haven't blogged.  It hurts to type or write, but I can't help it, I need to release some of this somewhere, so what better place than my canvas here.

I'm listening to this song as I type:

It is truly a beautiful piece, mash'Allah.  It doesn't matter what belief system one has, these are some of many of the beloved and beautiful traits and titles of our wonderful Creator.

It leaves me reflecting on the relationship we have with our Lord...some of us are always aware and conscious of Him, some are very devoted to serving Him, some remember Him here and there and so on and so forth.  We claim to understand and possess awareness that we were created by Him and that

we are His servants and that this life is a test--but how many times does this thought pass through our minds and then diminish just as easily as it came to our minds in the first place?  Every day we say we'll get our prayers in or take some time out to speak to Him or do something good in His name--how often do we do it?  Do we let every day pass by, promising to do what we say the next day, and so the cycle continues for a long time?  Do you do that?  Do you actually push yourself to do what you promise and do you keep your word?  We are so ungrateful sometimes but have SO MUCH to be grateful for. With such generosity that He gives us, with such beauty, reflected here even in the above video, my heart soars at the thought of Him and how much He loves me and the rest of His creation. When are we going to stand up and give Him thanks and do something to please Him for once, rather than constantly pleasing ourselves?

Let us be selfless, if it be for even just a moment...