Every once in a while you meet a family you could best describe as just "good people". Through the years I have met many families of "good people" from all parts of the world. One of those families I met many, many years ago in Hoover, Alabama when one of their six children was in my daughter's kindergaten class. Since that time, this family has been a pillar of the community, the father being a well trusted neighborhood plumber, the kids all popular and active in their schools, and a mother who is the rock of the family. But as we all know, bad things happen to good people.
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call that Sana', the rock, had lost five (5) family members in the Israeli offensive against Gaza. One sister-in-law and four cousins - all women, all rocks to their own families. On top of that, her mother was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. When you think surely these people can take no more, there was more to come............ Please read their story here: http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/news/2009/jan/27/former-sp-runner-faces-deportation/
For my friends and family in Alabama, please do what you can do. Write letters to your congressmen, call your local representative, write an editorial to the newspaper, call and check on the kids. For those of you who can do nothing else, pray for them. Pray hard.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
How to Help - For My Readers Outside Jordan
For those of you outside of Jordan, if you would like to donate money to help supply humanitarian aid to Gaza (money will be used for food and medical supplies), please go to your local bank and make a wire transfer to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) using the following account details.
Bank Name: Arab Bank
Location: Amman Jordan
Reciever: UNRWA
Swift Code: ARABPS22600
OR
Bank Name: HSBC
Location: Amman Jordan
REceiver: UNRWA
Swift Code: BBMEJOAX
Monday, December 29, 2008
The Color of Mourning
Following the lead of Southern Muslimah and Momma Bean, my blog will be dressed in black to mourn those who are suffering in Gaza...........
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Solidarity
UPDATE: Check out the Black Iris blog to see how you can help get food, blankets and blood to Gaza. Hurry, the food and clothes drop off is on Tuesday, Dec. 30!
First, let me say that this will most likely not be my most well written post. I am feeling too many emotions to think clearly: sadness, anger, frustration, helplessness and more sadness. For those of you living in another world than me, I am referring to the terrible atrocities that are being committed in Gaza against innocent civilians, children walking home from school, women doing their daily shopping, ambulance drivers who are simply trying to pick up the dead and dying from the middle of the roads.
I am not a dreamer. I know that many people who read this may be supporters of Israel and their policies - we will just have to agree to disagree. But, I beg you, how in God's name can you agree with the indiscriminate bombing of an entire city? First, they cut off all fuel supplies to Gaza (no heat for warmth, no fuel for cooking). Next, they cut off all food and medicine shipments (in case the lack of heat wasn't bad enough). And now, since neither of those did the job, they decide to begin killing with bombs. I know there are those who would argue that Hamas brought this on their own people by "allowing" a few Gazans to launch rockets into Israeli territory. Since when can we hold an entire people, specifically women and children, responsible for what a few people do? Aren't there at least a few people in America and Europe who do things that reflect badly on their governments? Would the world sit by and watch as Mexico or Canada dropped bombs on the entire US as revenge and expect them to do nothing? Let's think logically for a minute. How many people have been killed by rockets launched from Gaza in the past year - 4, 5 maybe? Now, how many people were killed yesterday in Gaza by Israeli bombs - at least 250 with over 400 wounded. To put that in perspective, it would take at least 60 years for Palestinian rockets to do equal damage.
Anyway, I know I am just rambling at this point. I have thought and thought about what I can do, personally, to change this situation and the answer I keep coming up with is nothing. I can pray for them, sure, but I want to be actively part of the solution. There is just nothing I can do. I feel helpless. I can do nothing to help, but I can show my solidarity.
I have decided, and I encourage all of my readers, including those not in the Middle East, to fast for at least one day - I will be fasting on Monday, Dec. 29 - from sunrise to sunset to feel the hunger that they feel. Instead of just fasting, try to imagine that you are fasting and bombs are raining down on you.
For those of you who want to take it a step further, I challenge you to live on what you have in your cabinets and refrigerator for the rest of the week. Don't go to the grocery, don't go to the bakery, don't even go to the mini-market. Now imagine that you have no choice and this is how you have to live.
Appreciate what God has given you. Be thankful. Pray for those who are suffering.
First, let me say that this will most likely not be my most well written post. I am feeling too many emotions to think clearly: sadness, anger, frustration, helplessness and more sadness. For those of you living in another world than me, I am referring to the terrible atrocities that are being committed in Gaza against innocent civilians, children walking home from school, women doing their daily shopping, ambulance drivers who are simply trying to pick up the dead and dying from the middle of the roads.
I am not a dreamer. I know that many people who read this may be supporters of Israel and their policies - we will just have to agree to disagree. But, I beg you, how in God's name can you agree with the indiscriminate bombing of an entire city? First, they cut off all fuel supplies to Gaza (no heat for warmth, no fuel for cooking). Next, they cut off all food and medicine shipments (in case the lack of heat wasn't bad enough). And now, since neither of those did the job, they decide to begin killing with bombs. I know there are those who would argue that Hamas brought this on their own people by "allowing" a few Gazans to launch rockets into Israeli territory. Since when can we hold an entire people, specifically women and children, responsible for what a few people do? Aren't there at least a few people in America and Europe who do things that reflect badly on their governments? Would the world sit by and watch as Mexico or Canada dropped bombs on the entire US as revenge and expect them to do nothing? Let's think logically for a minute. How many people have been killed by rockets launched from Gaza in the past year - 4, 5 maybe? Now, how many people were killed yesterday in Gaza by Israeli bombs - at least 250 with over 400 wounded. To put that in perspective, it would take at least 60 years for Palestinian rockets to do equal damage.
Anyway, I know I am just rambling at this point. I have thought and thought about what I can do, personally, to change this situation and the answer I keep coming up with is nothing. I can pray for them, sure, but I want to be actively part of the solution. There is just nothing I can do. I feel helpless. I can do nothing to help, but I can show my solidarity.
I have decided, and I encourage all of my readers, including those not in the Middle East, to fast for at least one day - I will be fasting on Monday, Dec. 29 - from sunrise to sunset to feel the hunger that they feel. Instead of just fasting, try to imagine that you are fasting and bombs are raining down on you.
For those of you who want to take it a step further, I challenge you to live on what you have in your cabinets and refrigerator for the rest of the week. Don't go to the grocery, don't go to the bakery, don't even go to the mini-market. Now imagine that you have no choice and this is how you have to live.
Appreciate what God has given you. Be thankful. Pray for those who are suffering.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Still Busy.....
- Trying to get ready for my trip home. Not really - I haven't even started! Need to shop, need to pack, need to prepare kids, need to....., need to....., need to! Planning on hitting the "ballad" this weekend and doing some souveniour shopping. Buying gifts from Jordan for non-Arabs is hard. If you need gifts for Arabs, just take a suitcase full of jameed and some dried moulkiyeh :). I guess I am going to take sweets, fake camels, and miniature replicas of the Petra Treasury. Any other ideas?
- Have to let two people go at work tomorrow - not actually firing, just not renewing their contracts. Very hard. Very necessary. Something else my mama DID NOT TEACH ME! Feel kind of sick. I hear it gets easier after the first couple of times but I really doubt it. In times like this, I guess that it is good that I am an anonymous blogger.
- Got great news this week! Their is an audiologist/surgeons' conference in Amman this week and they will be performing 5 surgeries to restore hearing in FIVE children for FREE. We are helping locate the children for the surgeries and unfortunately of the 2 schools we contacted only 1 "remembered" to prepare the childrens' medical files for us to pick up so it seems that all 5 will be coming from one school. Where ever they come from, it is truly a blessing, alhamduillah, thank GOD!
- Got my grade for my first essay. It was a disappointing 87 but insha'Allah, God willing, now that I know what she wants I will be able to pull it up to an A by the end of the term. Someone remind me again, why am I doing this?
- For those of you who post comments which I do not reply to, SORRY! I really have the intention to respond but time passes faster than my I think sometimes.
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