Letters to My Daughter

Last Friday night (5.22.2010) our family had its first halaqa. My cousins came and my brother read and explained several hadith. He read the following narration: The law is plain, and the unlawful is plain. Between them are doubtful matters that most people do not know about. He who avoids the doubtful has kept his religion and honor clear. But he who falls into the doubtful falls into the unlawful as the shepherd who grazes around a sanctuary, almost grazing therein. Verily there is a morsel of flesh in the body which, if sound, the whole body is sound, and which it ill, the whole body is ill. Verily, it is the heart. It seems that most of our concerns fall into the doubtful. Personally, I find myself largely preoccupied with job seeking. I've been trying to find something temporary for the summer so that I can gain some momentum before I start graduate school at UPenn in the fall. I've interviewed with some organizations, but I am not willing to do unpaid work at this critic...

Today my family and I threw Dad a surprise 60th party. We had 18-20 people, mostly Dad's closest friends. I cooked, cleaned, invited guests, prepared the house, bought all the decorations, organized all the details.. but my cousins were the real heros. One bhai (cousin)took me to Sam's Club before work. One cousin helped us change Wasim's flight, and ordered all the food. My husband paid for things, picked up the cake, and helped me plan the guest list. Mom cut mangos and tied the balloons for decorations. My cousins set up the dishes, and organized all the platters. I was the "architect." I woke up at 8AM after working until 2AM cleaning the house, cooking my rice pudding which took an hour, vacuuming, and confirming with the guests. I woke up to find a wonderful waffle cooked and waiting for me. I ate it happily, knowing Dad probably made waffles, got dressed and headed to Pathmark to buy groceries. I came back home at 10, showered, and got ready for the party. ...