Some thoughts..its been while.

I have been thinking of posting an update for a while now, and now looking back I think its time considering the last update was in 2011! Iman is 10 now and growing into a young lady and Deen is almost 8 now and evolving as well. Looking back, I noticed that I had set some goals for myself, all of which I am happy to realize, have been accomplished. Going to the gym 3-4 times a week, have made amazing new friends and try not to miss an opportunity to spend time with them. Although hubby and I are not able to make plans often, at least we share an annual or maybe even twice year vacation as a family and try to make time for each other on a daily basis. In addition, I have embraced biking as a new pass time, improved my credit and have grown spiritually.

Times are so different now, compared to the last time I blogged. Terrorism has reached new heights of insanity, and a mad man is running for the presidency. I am having to explain things to my children that my parents never had to explain to me; for example, "Mommy, why to people hate muslims?" I have to explain that there are some really bad people out there that pretend to be muslims and that their actions have nothing to do with Islam, instead they use Islam and distort its teachings to do harm. Thankfully, people that know anything about Islam, in truth, know that terrorists and muslims are not the same thing. My parents never had to explain what "Black Lives Matter," means. I have to explain to them that not all police officers are good, which is hard for them to understand. That there are racist people in this world and no one should have the power to take anyone's life, even if they do wear an officer's uniform. I have to explain that "Black Lives Matter," is a movement to bring attention to lives lost for no reason, or lives lost for "being black." I know (InshAllah), that my son will one day grow up to be a man and that if this world continues to be anything like it is today, he needs to watch his back when walking around the neighborhood at night, wearing a hoodie, as he is man of color. He may have to think twice before reading the Quran on a plane or even growing a beard. Sadly, unless the mentality of law enforcement and what the media portrays to be "dangerous," drastically changes, this will be the reality, as it is today. What really stuns me is when I see things posts on Facebook, articles, comments and such that so casually, stream hate. Unlike the "real world," in the virtual world, you can hide behind your profile pic or less even. At first, I was really surprised to see such hatred towards muslims on the internet, I really had no idea that there was an "us" and an "American," as I have always thought myself to be part of the "us," as I am American. Born and raised in Texas, I admit, I was taught that I am different than a Christian, jew, hindu, because I practice a different religion, adhere to different religious guidelines but I was never taught that I was not an American, that there was an "us" and a "them." I grew up with American culture, while being aware of my religious boundaries. I was part of a sorority, I had female and male friends, I made mistakes like any other teenager, I traveled, I drove.. and none of these things are against Islam. I had a fairly normal, AMERICAN, upbringing. So seeing statements like "Get them out of our country," and "they are all dangerous, send them back to where they came from," shocks me. This IS my country, and I am from AMERICA! I am first generation, much like many people I know. The level of ignorance should not surprise me as most comments like these are made by the less educated or by people who have never met or interacted with a muslim, ever; yet it does. In any case, I thought I would use this platform to vent a little. Will try to blog more often, in the meantime, in case I don't, I want to set some goals to look back on.... 1. Utilize more downtime for myself. Sometimes I feel as though I am running 100 miles an hour, between bed making, cooking, cleaning, preparing, working, exercising... I need to relax and take a breath more often. 2. Continue to bike and exercise and learn how to swim! 3. Get PMP certified to further my career. 4. Continue to strive to become a better wife, mother, and daughter. I want to continue to have an "open door," policy for my kids or anyone close to me. I am so glad that I feel my kids can talk to me about anything and I want that comfort level to always be there. 5. Continue to grow spiritually. Thanks for reading...till next time. :)