The Bud Takes a Risk

The Bud Takes a Risk

 

By Jo Wanmer

 

I love the quote, which I read on AsAManThinketh: "And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin

 

It caused me to think . A bud when it is closed tight is protected from the wind and rain. Its delicate petals and stamens are enclosed, safe from harm, bundled up tight and secure. But the pressure is building! Some thing is pushing them, one against the other and gossip is that at the top of the bud, the protective case has split and some of the petals are being pushed out!

 

 

Actually some of the petals were excited at the prospect of being free, of being able to move as they wished, of greeting the 'Sun' that they had heard so much about. Others were more cautious - fearing unnecessary change!

 

 

Now the report had come back from the top petals that the sun was dulled, and they were being battered by the wind. They were trying to get back in the bud - and all that was doing was increasing the split - and other petals were exposed.

 

 

One big petal was very quiet in all the ensuing discussion! He knew he was close to the Sun now. He had waited sooo long! He pushed up and out with all his might. He could see the split just above him now! I'll try again, he determined. I must get a glimpse! So he focused and tried again. He pushed and pushed and the pressure was too much for the bud and it split down the side. The petal turned his eyes outward! What wonder! What fresh air! The smells! The perfume! The possibilities! The freedom!

 

 

"It is wonderful, just wonderful!" he yelled to the petals behind him. "Come on! Let's show the world how beautiful we are!" He urged.

"But, the risk!" the other petals argued, "Let's stay here - it is more comfortable now the bud is split!"

 

 

Just then a little voice was heard outside. "Daddy, come quick. The bud is opening! Look at the beautiful colour!" "Can you smell the perfume?" was the reply. "No, Daddy, no smell!" "You will be able to smell it when all the petals are open. It will be wonderful"

 

 

The petals were all quiet for a few moments. Suddenly they understood! To bloom, would eventually cost them everything! But to bloom is what they were created for! To remain a bud and die on the vine was unthinkable! "We must bloom. We must all push together. We must be the best most attractive bloom. Then the bees will come and sup with us, and though we die we will actually live for ever!"

 

 

PS:  A week later a satisfied petal lay under the vine, blown against the fence. His colour was fading, but his perfume was still strong. They had done well. The little girl had admired them everyday - but more importantly they had opened themselves completely to the Sun - and the bees had come. And as he looked up to the vine, even now he could see the swelling, just below the last few petals, that spoke of fruit, with its promise of new life.

 

 

Near him on the ground was a bud - it had never opened itself to the Sun. The vine had dropped it to the ground as useless. How sad to have never experienced the Sun - to never have reached fulfillment! How thankful he was that the big petal had the vision and courage to lead them out!!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Wanmer is a free lance writing, living in Brisbane , Australia , with her husband Steve. Together they have a business that coaches business owners. Their passion is to see people reach their full potential.

Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik ...

Insha Allah, I and my wife have planned to do the Hajj (2007) this year. As this important activity has been fardh upon us and Alhamdulillah with my family neatly settled down with their regular chores in Kansas, we decided to take upon this act at the first available opportunity.

As my kids are older enough to manage their chores, Shukur Alhamdulillah, We confirmed our plans.

Alhamdulillah we were able to get the bookings on time and Insha Allah, our journey will start on December 4th and completing the Hajj, we will leave Jeddah on December 26th and will reach Kansas by 4:30 PM on the same day.

With some, I had been interacting from my childhood and to some I met quite recently. Some of you taught me, and to some I had reciprocated. Some of you studied and worked with me, and some are the acquaintances acquired from several masajids. Some of you even bore the brunt of my cooking.  Most of you supported me during my thick and thin years.

Irrelevant of the time span spent and the type of relationship I hold with you, you all are dear to me and will remain dear forever. I take this opportunity to fulfill an important obligation of Hajj.

During the course of time, our relationship would surely had been put to a litmus test. And if by any chance, I had been the source of a pain to you, even for a second, I, sincerely from the base of my heart seek apology to you for the sake of Allah Swt.

For the sake of Allah swt please forgive me.
 

Please pray for us that every aspect of this journey goes on with ease, and Allah swt accept our Hajj and  our duas.

Good Bye Ramadhan ...

Looks as if we stepped into the glorious and blessed month of Ramadhan and already it is time to say Good Bye to it.

 

We soon surely will miss the getting up for little earlier than the Suhur time to offer the additional Thahajjud prayers.

 

The fervent recitation of Holy Qur'an, the increase in the number of visitations to the masajids also to offer our Taraweeh prayers, and simultaneously giving a helping hand to the various fund raisings,

 

The sharing of our Iftaar with other community folks, listening to the recitations of various Qaris while driving on and off from work, educating our non muslim co-workers about the importance of Holy month of Ramadhan and the benefits of fastings, switching the TV off to spend time in learning the Deen.

 

Most important, calculating accurately the Zakaah amount and adding little more to claim additional hasanath from our dear Rabbul Aalameen.

 

I heard in one of the several discourses in our masjid that the companions of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him) could pray to Allah swt 6 months before to participate in the activities involving Ramadhan and would pray 6 months after Ramadhan to Allah swt to accept their deeds performed in this month.

 

I still remember my childhood, how me and my brother Asif would insist our parents

( I pray to Allah swt to provide them the best place in the Jannah and keep them in the companionship of those whom Allah swt loves dearly, Aameen) to wake us up for Suhur. And if for some reasons they dont, we would literally cry the next morning and would complain to our Nana ( I pray to Allah swt to provide him the best place in the Jannah and keep him in the companionship of those whom Allah swt loves dearly, Aameen) about it..

 

Some where down the line, I had been a miniscule part of your lives. Some of you I know from childhood, and some I rubbed shoulders during my college days, Some I met during Hajj, some of you were my room mates and bore the brunt of my cookings and some I met in this land of opportunity. This being the last days of the blessed month of Ramadhan and I would like to take this opportunity to seek apology for if I had hurt your feelings knowingly or unknowingly. For the sake of Allah swt, please accept my humble apology and forgive this grey haired brother of yours.

 

I pray to Allah swt to keep up alive to be an active participant in many more Ramadhans to come in our lives. Aameen.

 

I pray to Allah swt to make us among those who have performed all the Ibaadah in this month with full fervour and zeal sincerely to earn the blessings of Allah swt. Aameen.

 

I pray to Allah swt to accept our prayers, our fastings, our Zakaat, our Qur'an recitation, our Sadaqa and provide us its Ajar in both the worlds. Aameen.

 

Allah Hafiz...

 

Unknown Faces -- Unforgetable Help

Almighty God has means and avenues to safeguard you and chooses nothing but the best for you to shower His blessings upon you. Thus you end up saving yourself from a hovering calamity.

During the Pre-GPS era, driving from one state to another in night, you sometimes tend to loose your way, and end up driving on the wrong highway, there comes a simpleton on the road who comes to your rescue. Hence you end up picking the right track and end up reaching your destination before midnight.

You are trying to move a heavy object ( for example, a 36" TV from your car, into your newly moved home) and out of the blue, your new neighbor comes to your rescue, and helps you move the heavy stuff.

Passport offices in our countries are always have terrible crowdy lines, and someone standing behind you corrects you that you are standing in the wrong queue. Imagine the time you end up wasting, you ended up saving.

Climbing a running bus used to be my fad when I was in college, and one time my hand slipped and an old man grasped my slipping hand and till today, I could feel his strong grip, without which I would have ended up losing my leg.

My mom used to have white bread for dinner as prescribed by doctor addressing her health issues, and it was my duty to buy it everyday without fail. After 7PM, in my days, roads would be silent, dark, with hardly a crowd on it. No motor cars, buses will buzz on the roads. I was 7 - 8 years old and there was a patch of darkness on Peters Road, near Mirsahibpet Market, Chennai, India which always bothered me. I used to do my best to run and save myself from the imaginary monster thirsting for my blood. This was the everyday ritual.

One day while running from this imaginary monster, I slipped and fell on my face, thus losing 15 paise. Literally I started crying, cause I know the beatings I would receive from my mom. Now dont laugh.

Out of the dark, came a dark featured gentleman wearing white shirt and pant came and was smoking.

He questioned me why I am crying. I informed him the whole story. He gave me those 15 paise and vanished in the dark. Its been nearly 4 decades and still I remember him and of course thank him.

There are several such incidents in your lives too that would have occured. I know you'd be thankful to those unknown personalities who visited for a while in your lives and have helped you.

In my humble opinion, this help for sure had been arranged by nobody but our beloved creator
Almighty God.

Win His Heart: A Psychological Approach for WOMEN

Win His Heart: A Psychological Approach for WOMEN

Written by:  Haleh Banani , MA Clinical Psychology

As women, we desire to have a deep emotional bond with our spouse.  We want to be loved and adored.  Our inner core is filled with contentment and happiness when we feel understood and appreciated. Making a wish list of traits we want our husband to have is effortless, but bringing out the best in him takes a lot of nurturing.

We need to nourish our spouse daily with love, support and understanding.    As a therapist, I have seen numerous men who are disappointed in their marriages. Many are frustrated and confused.   Here are some suggestions on improving your marriage.

Men’s Top 6 Requests of Their Wives

1. Be his friend
2. Show him respect
3. Fulfill his physical needs
4. Make him feel desired
5. Make him feel appreciated
6. Create variety

Be a friend

The most important aspect of a marriage is friendship.  When there is friendship, any obstacle can be overcome.  In the Quran, Allah refers to a man’s wife as his girlfriend in Surah Abasa 80:36 which reveals the type of relationship we need to have with our spouse.

John Gottman, a psychologist who specializes in marriage stability in the States, did a study on married couples and found the one element which determines whether or not couples stay together is friendship. Look at the beautiful examples of Khadija and Aisha (RA) and how they showered the Prophet (peace and salat upon him) with love, providing him with true companionship.  Think about your best friend and how he or she became so special in your life.  It probably had a lot to do with the amount of time and effort he or she made to get to know you and spend time with you.  When was the last time you and your spouse had quality time together where the focus was just on having fun and sharing?  An easy way to get started is:

1. Set a date night with your spouse and stick to it
2. Share likes, dislikes, dreams etc.

Your friends are people who accept you and make you feel happy.  How accepting are you of your spouse?  Are you always trying to change or nag him?  These behaviors push a man away and doesn’t create positive associations to you.  Try to hold off a bit before plunging into a long list of complaints about the kids and house chores right when he arrives.

In order to create or strengthen friendship in marriage, try doing the following:

1. Listen, listen, listen to him – I mean really listen without being distracted, without making lists in your mind as he talks and without watching T.V. Remember what he shares with you about his work, about his goals, etc.
2. Share the highlights of the day & be supportive and understanding,
3. Find out what his area of interests are, read about them and be prepared to discuss,
4. Always say please and thank you, no matter how long you have been married,
5. Eat at least 1 meal a day together,
6. Be forgiving – overlook his mistakes and flaws and train yourself to remember his positive traits ( everyone has some – you just have to focus on them),
7. Plan activities together (be it traveling together, playing tennis, walking, eating out,  going out for movie nights – anything you both enjoy doing together),
8. Laugh together – don’t take your relationship so seriously all the time.  Couples that can laugh together, stay together,
9. Have time to cuddle – being in close contact, hugging & caressing melts away the barriers, anger & frustrations.  We all feel better after a nice, big hug,
10. Say nice things to each other – If you spoke to your friend the way you speak to your spouse would they remain your friend? Be honest with the answer,
11. Always make up before you sleep, and sleep at the same time.  Don’t lead separate lives.

Show Respect

The need for men to be respected is so strong that when they are given ample respect, they flourish like a plant that has just been watered.  When they are deprived of the respect, they wilt and harbor feelings of sadness and resentment.  Many times women put a lot of time and effort in keeping the house clean, taking care of the kids and fulfilling all the “duties”, but because they fall short in showing their husbands respect, the husbands will shut down and not show appreciation for all that she has done.  It is critical to be sensitive towards men and their feelings.  Even though men may not be as expressive, they can and do get hurt and it is much harder for them to recover from hurt feelings.

Here are some ways to show respect:

1. Always speak with kindness and politeness, regardless of how long you have been married.  Show the same (if not more) graciousness to your husband than you show your guests,
2. Never shout,  call him names or use profanity,
3. Don’t be sarcastic with sensitive issues – if he has any weaknesses or shortcomings don’t crack a joke about it.  Even if he doesn’t get mad, he may feel hurt inside,
4. Listen to his opinion and honor his requests – you will be rewarded in this world with a happy home and in the akhira insha’Allah,
5. Don’t have a power struggle with him.  When women are demanding and aggressive it makes the men be harsh and rigid.  If you show respect for the role that Allah has chosen for him he is more likely to be accommodating,
6. Show love and respect to his family and be a unifying force.  Don’t be known in his family as the person who took him,
7. Respect his “alone time”, and allow him to unwind,
8. Ask his opinions and value them.

Fulfill His Physical Needs

Intimacy brings about a whole lot of mixed emotions.  Some sisters are not interested at all, some can never get enough and others seem to use it as a way to manipulate their husbands.  There really needs to be some frank talk about this subject because I have seen many marriages suffer and fall apart due to problems of intimacy.

Sisters, if you withhold sex from your spouse as either a way to get back at him or to control him, you are making a HUGE MISTAKE.  Sex is not meant to be a manipulative tool; rather it is a way to bring a necessary fulfillment to you and your spouse.  I have had therapy sessions with numerous men who are addicted to porn because their wives show no interest in them or in sex.  Men will feel the urge to fulfill their physical needs and if their wife is never available or interested, then some men will be tempted to either get a second wife or pursue haram  (forbidden) avenues.  That is why it’s of paramount importance for women to learn how to satisfy their husbands and to be available for them.

Here are some suggestions to improve your intimate relations:

1. Talk about sex together – the majority of couples have never spoken about it so how can they possibly know what the other person’s likes or dislikes are?
2. Only encourage with loving words when intimate – never criticize or judge,
3. Never laugh at your spouse when they are vulnerable and baring it all,
4. Don’t put pressure on him to perform – a large majority of men have performance anxiety.  The more you help him relax,  the less stressed he will be, the better he will be able to perform,
5. Don’t make sex about having a baby – it will happen if it’s meant to be insha’Allah.  None of this, “Quick, I’m ovulating” business. The more relaxed you both are, the more enjoyable it will be, which will increase the frequency and the likelihood of getting pregnant,
6. Ask about each other’s fantasies and as long as they are halal (permissible), then go for it – be accepting and non-judgmental when hearing each other’s fantasies

Your wives are a tilth for you so go to your tilth, Surah Baqara 223. Meaning that you can have sexual relations in any way you want with your spouse as long as it’s halal.

1. Initiate intimacy – don’t wait for your spouse to make the first move every time.  Be proactive!
2. Be engaging during sex – don’t make him feel like you are doing him a favor,
3. Never fake your enjoyment or else he will never learn how to please you,
4. Communicate during intimacy sharing your likes, dislikes and give gentle directions.

Make Him Feel Appreciated

When a man gets married he enjoys being the center of his wife’s life.  He loves all the attention, the special meals and having his wife exclusively to himself.  Once children appear in the picture, everything changes for the man.  Not only is he not center stage – he is not even on stage!   He sees his wife completely absorbed with the new baby and as much as he loves and adores the child, he simply doesn’t want to be replaced by him.

There are so many times that men are made to feel neglected.  Whether it’s because of the newborn baby, her demanding job or her never ending list of errands and voluntarism, men are being overlooked and pushed aside. Each man is craving his wife’s attention.  The woman that knows how to shower her man with attention and appreciation will win his heart.  In my practice, working with couples, I have discovered that most people either have no idea how to show appreciation or they mistakenly show it the way they would like to receive it.

So here are some practical and easy ways to show appreciation to your husband:

1. Greet him with a hug and a kiss when he arrives home. Men have a need to feel important,
2. Make him feel that you are glad that he is home- this will create a positive association to being home; therefore he will WANT to spend more time at home,
3. Get off the phone before he arrives,
4. Make sure the place is presentable,
5. Have a sumptuous dinner ready,
6. Verbalize that you appreciate his hard work and all that he provides,
7. Be happy – nothing shows appreciation like a content smile,
8. Be understanding when he has to stay late or has to travel,
9. Listen to him without multitasking – I know it’s hard for us sisters to sit still and just simply listen, but it’s so critical to make  a man feel heard,
10. *LOOK ATTRACTIVE*

You can lounge around in your sweats all day long chillin’, but before your hubby gets home take 10 minutes to wear something attractive (depending on what he likes – some prefer jeans and a cute top, others prefer short skirts or dresses – find out what he enjoys) and dab some lipstick and mascara on.

Men are exposed to so many attractive women at work, at school, in the malls, on billboards, magazines and T.V. so in order to strengthen them to lower their gaze they need to have something worthwhile to come home to at night.  You don’t have to be a supermodel to look presentable to your husband.  Just spend a few minutes to fix your hair and accentuate your best assets. Keep in mind sisters, that many times when husbands come home from a long day at work they may not immediatly notice your effort to dress up for him, so gently draw his attention to your new dress, haircut or makeup and let him know you did it just for him.

Make Him Feel Desired

When was the last time you gave a compliment to your husband? And I’m not referring to compliments on how well he fixed the leaky faucet. I mean a compliment on his looks or personality that will bring on a genuine smile.  It seems that the more comfortable we are with someone, the less polite and gracious we become.  Does that make any sense?  Each person desires attention and wants to feel attractive.  The need to feel attractive increases as men age, they require more assurance that they are still desirable and worthwhile.  There are two ways to make a man feel attractive: either tell him by giving him a compliment or show him that you are attracted to him.  Here are some ways to show your attraction to your husband:

1. Take the time to look at him – deep in his eyes and have your eyes lock. There usually isn’t enough time to make eye contact and since everyone always has to be careful to lower their gaze in public, here is the chance to stare and be rewarded!
2. Smile affectionately,
3. Be generous in giving compliments – it’s amazing how a person will light up with kind words.
4. Be playful, flirt and make him feel like the most attractive person

Create Variety

Variety is always desirable.  We enjoy an array of meals, an assortment of clothes and a selection of entertainment.  This yearning for variety can be fulfilled even in marriage.

Here are some simple measures you can take to add a little zest and variety to yourself.

1. Get different hairstyles and change the shade of your hair color – make sure it is something he will like.  Don’t go for shocking – always choose styles and colors that suit you the best.  Don’t all of sudden choose jet black if you are blonde for the sake of creating variety – just go a few shades darker or lighter or get highlights.
2. Have a nice wardrobe for the house.  ”What, dress up at home?” YES!  You don’t need to be all decked out, but you need to have casual, nice clothes for around the house.  Don’t just hang out in sweats, pajamas or tacky clothes at home and look your best when you go out.
3. Get monthly maintenance at the salon.  You know the drill: waxing, bleaching, trimming.
   Don’t just wait for a lady’s get-together or wedding to get these things done.  Make him feel valued by looking well groomed at home for him.
4. Invest in nice lingerie – it’s not just for the honeymoon.  If you want your honeymoon to last a lifetime have a selection of lingerie that you wear regularly.  Select items that he would enjoy. Make sure that it looks flattering on you.  Not everything that is seductive will look flattering so choose ones that enhance your best features.  The secret is to look hot at home!
5. Try to create variety by getting intimate in different rooms (make sure you will not be unpleasantly surprised by a little visitor), alter the time of day that you get intimate (it doesn’t always have to be in the evenings) and try to be a little adventurous.
6. From time to time, go for an overnight stay anywhere without the kids- you will be amazed how a different setting will improve your love life.

As you strive to create a strong bond with your husband by being a true friend, you will become closer and more intimate.  This intimacy will lead to a more satisfying and relaxed sexual relationship. With an ego that is showered with compliments, attention and appreciation, men will naturally feel more attractive and desired.  As they start feeling debonair, they will be more intrigued by you and your versatility.  You will create the variety which will break the monotony and have sparks flying. By investing the necessary time and effort into your marriage, you will be pleasantly rewarded with a more satisfied spouse and you will WIN HIS HEART!

Also see:  How to Score BIG with Women: a Psychological and Islamic approach for Men

Strong Memories our children possess - Harness it right

Assalamu Alaikum, Almighty God's peace and blessings be upon you ...

There was a time when I used to lead a married bachelor's life, and in my heart I used to hate it. Anyway, there used to be lots of family people with their kids visiting my home, and to provide personal satisfaction to my heart, I would spend time with these kids.

I would play with them, tell them stories and joke around with them, and they used to love it.

One of the many little girls named Laila (name changed) happened to listen attentively to one of my many stories. And after a long long time period of 8 years replicated it in black and white, presented it to her class (3rd grade, now) and got A+ grade.

When questioned by her father, she responded that she heard the story from me, and treasured it only to reproduce it after such a long years to win a prize.

Her father, my very good friend, ex-room mate called me on the Eid day and shared this wonderful incident with me. My parents(Pray to Allah swt to keep them in the company of Shohadah and Saliheen, give them maghfeerah, provide them shade of His throne on the day of judgement, and allocate them the best position in Jannah Aameen) used to say that children memory is like  wet cement. Whatever you narrate to them, it gets hinged to their memory.

As parents, it is our duty to share with them stories of our beloved
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), and the sacrifices he and his companions made to spread the Deen of Allah. Share with them the history of Islam, stories of prophets, as this will inculcate in them all the good qualities of great people.

And here comes the important part as parents as we have to play a perfect role model. Dictating a sermon on maintaining regularity for Fajr prayer, and you yourself end up snoring your time, then its a bad role model you are playing.

Here, I would like to talk about my office colleague newly emigrated from Pakistan, who happily claims that he has to wake his son ( a near teenager) only once, and his son gets up ready to go to masjid with his dad for Fajr prayer. Here the father is playing a good role model.

I know this is tough for some, but this is what is called as a "sacrifice". Haven't we read in the holy Qur'an, that as parents take care of your family first, as on the day of judgment you will be questioned about them.

Another good brother of mine from Bangladesh conducts weekly halaqa, and Allah swt has blessed him with a daughter (7years) and 2 sons (5years, 2.5 years). He allocates responsibility to his daughter and first son to prepare few ayah from the Holy Qur'an. Of course, he and his spouse guides them. And when the halaqa day comes, the daughter presents the topic before the whole halaqa members. This way, she is learning and as well presenting the good work.

We must encourage our children, befriend them, pardon their mistakes, pray for them
24 X 7, guide them and most important listen to them PATIENTLY. We must not find fault with their activities. To put it delicately, one must say, "If I were you, I would have done this", not directly commanding them, You fool, you should have done this.

Do you know the name of the sahaba (lady) who fought besides our beloved
Holy Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) in one of the battles against Kuffar.

Who said "Akhdim Akhdim Haizoon" when and to whom.

Who is Abu Dujaana, and do you know in what tale of bravery he is famous.

Name the young lads who finish Abu Jahl in Badr.

Do you know upon which prophet (PBUH) did Allah swt showered golden crickets as a prize for his long patience.

Do you know upon which prophet (PBUH)'s body  Allah swt grew a plant through which he used to feed himself for an allotted time.

Do you know the number of children who spoke when they were just born babies (Two of them are mentioned in Holy Qur'an).

Try to find the answers to all these questions, and share this with your children.

If we dont carve out a path for our children, then the outside environment will make them go astray. Facebook, cartoons, movies, soap operas will contaminate their young minds.
Dora, Barbie, Iron man, Spider man, Spongebob Squarepants will become their role models, and we all know what doom this will lead to.

Pray to Allah swt to protect our children and our lineage to come,  from the fitnah of Iblees.
Pray to Allah swt to keep our children and our lineage to come under His safest custody 24X7, and make them lead their lives within the radius of Deen, Islam, and make them strong momeen and a good Dayee. Aameen.

O Maa, Pyari Maa --- Amma ...

Assalamu Alaikum WRH, Almighty God's peace and blessings be upon you.

As it is raining heavily outside in Houston, TX, and looking out through my window, I let my thoughts stray back just couple of decades back. Similar was the rain, the whole city of Chennai, specifically the area
"Ice House" where I spent my childhood would flood always.

Me and my little brother Asif were in school. The pickup person (rickshaw puller) who was supposed to pick us from school did not turn up. We were struck, and I was in my 4th grade.

Worried to death, nearly crying I was standing clutching the huge iron gates of my school, and there I saw a similar face drenched in rain with her umbrella waving at us.

I let go my tears, and nearly hugged my mom. Bringing us back, she bathed us in warm water and gave us hot soup to drink.

This is just the tip of an iceberg. The amount of affection she showered upon her kith and kin for sure is immeasurable. The values she embedded in our systems guided us in our lives, and whenever we even think of swerving from the right path, her angry yet affectionate face comes to our minds.

She is not with us now, Yet her parting words will echo in my ears till my last breathe. Her first advise was to continue to pray 5 times a day without fail, Pray for her, the family, and to all the near and dears.

The fortunate among you will still have your mother, Mom, Mamma in your midst.
Visit her, talk to her, revive your childhood thoughts, tease her, play with her, and if she still allow place your head on her lap.

This moment will be worth the size of Himalayas in Gold.

Now watch this small song ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5SMOJM7nb8&feature=related