Author: ohlala80

It is the summer holiday and no the perfect family day was not spent abroad in some fancy ski resort, nor was it spent tanning by the turquoise beaches in the Maldives, we weren’t on a cruise ship nor were we strolling the fashion streets of Paris (not that I wouldn’t have loved being at either of those places!). However, the perfect family day was actually a Sunday like most other Sundays. The children wanted to try a new Japanese restaurant called origami at Festival City mall (not the fanciest of malls either if I may add). We got to the mall and I watched with pride my tall and broad husband walk near my sweet, chubby son who was trying to catch up to his fathers stride. I imagined my son growing equally tall and broad and kind like his father and the thought brought a smile to my face. I saw my daughters laughing and teasing each other as we approached the restaurant which they had suggested. We were dressed in our Sunday bests and simply being, rested, healthy and content was already a perfect start to the family day.

We ordered an assortment of starters to share followed by our main courses. I thanked and blessed God for the meal in front of us and the family love within us. I thanked Allah for blessing us with the means to eat at a restaurant (fancy or not) and for simply being a family joined together in good health, love and harmony, a family exactly as we are. After we satisfied our taste buds and quenched our hunger with the Japanese delicacies we headed to the mall prayer halls to pray. My son headed with his father to the male prayer hall while I headed with my daughters to the female one. I prayed and thanked God for the meal, for the blessing of having my family intact around me and for waking up to another sun shiny day with no regrets or tragedies. That in itself is a blessing. I prayed for my family’s protection and for God to grant my husband health and prosperity and to surround me by him and my children always.

After performing our prayers, we decided to have dessert at one my favorite French cafes called L’aduree. The fact that we even have L’aduree in my country is worth celebrating. I ordered my black coffee accompanied by rose ice cream while the children indulged in their colorful macaroons. It was a lovely treat.

We strolled the mall for a while longer our bodies digesting their meals, until we decided it was time to return home. The sun was setting as my husband drove with music playing in the background and I had a faint smile on my face. I looked to my left and watched as my husband drove and I marveled at the strong and supportive man he was. I looked back and smiled at the kids who were buckled up and chatting endlessly and I said a silent thank you to God for this exact moment which I wouldn’t swap for anything else.

At home we gathered around the living room. My husband switched on the TV while suddenly my middle child who is a natural artist brainstormed a small business prospect involving her crochet. My middle child has a gift of creating the most wonderful crochet creations and artwork, she truly has such a talent! In fact when I look closely, each one of my children has a special talent. My eldest with her advanced horse riding technique and culinary skills, my middle child with her art creations and my youngest with his endless experimenting wether with toys or ingredients. My middle child continues brainstorming as her eyes glistened with anticipation. My husband started pitching some ideas to our daughter and that’s when she decided to come up with a logo. Her older sister helped implement a logo on the iPad alongside their father. I beamed with pride at the fun and productive day this was turning out to be not bad at all… a nice lunch and then huddling to be creative… My son decided to go to the kitchen to whip up one of his special fruit cocktails for us while being the book worm that I am I brought the latest book I was reading and started reading amidst all the creativity going on while our cat rolled around and looked at everyone curiously. The day was perfection.

I read in one of my books that life will give you all that you want but not necessarily in the way that you imagined it. That to surrender to life as it is and to practice gratitude for every small and big thing was the key to happiness. I had my life right here, right now amongst my family, amidst by husband and children where everyone was pleasant and in good health. My husband has been a pillar of strength to our family during difficult times and beneath his sometimes rough exterior he has never failed to impress me by his kindness and support. As for my children I couldn’t have asked for more perfectly imperfect ones. I love them as they are in all their strengths and weaknesses. They make me proud and they’re the main reason I wake up in the morning and raising them and creating memories with them is one of my main purposes in life.

May Allah bless us with more happiness and contentment and may we never take the little pleasures in life for granted again. It was the perfect day and it didn’t cost much it only required gratitude, fulfillment and acceptance that even if life wasn’t perfect (and it never is) it was good enough. I pray that with all of life’s ups and downs that I continue to feel this content with my family and friends forever.

How was your day? And what would you describe to be the perfect day?

Much love and keep smiling!

Love is the dancing of the soul and the glowing in the face

Love is the gentle touch of a hand and the whispers of sweet nothings in the ears

Love is reading the gaze of an eye without the utterance of a word

Love is the flickering of the soul and the fluttering of the heart… even after so long

Love is longing and belonging

Love is acceptance & assurance allowing freedom to be undeniably you and for them to be undeniably them

Love is celebrating each other exactly as you are

Love brings out the best in you you can’t remember being before it

Love is leaving that last slice of pizza and saying call me when you reach

Love is showing interest in what the other is interested in

Love is making an effort and making it seem effortless

Love is kindness, security and mutual respect

Love is beginning each day with gratitude and a smile for being with one another

Love is being supportive and a shoulder to cry on in the difficult times and the celebrations in the good times

Love is being by their side and understanding that they need to be loved a little extra when times get rough

Love is embracing every moment together knowing that there are ups and there are downs and that’s ok

Love isn’t about where but with whome

Love is putting each other first and fighting for one another

Love is cooking his / her favorite meal and anticipating eating it together

Love is patience love is sacrifice

Love is unconditional and pure

Love makes the world go round wether its towards a spouse, a child, a parent or a friend

Freedom doesn’t come from doing all you want. Freedom in fact comes from having the discipline of knowing your true self and how to regulate it. How to find peace within the chaos unshattered by the outer world. How to identify your strengths and weaknesses and honor them knowing that as a human you may have some limitations. To overflow with love and acceptance from within so that that abundance may flow outwardly to those you care about and love. This is where true freedom lies. Freedom is setting healthy, respectful boundaries with others and knowing how and when to diplomatically say no. This is freedom. Without such self discipline, awareness and self honor you are the opposite of being free you are in fact a prisoner. A prisoner to unhealthy social norms, a prisoner to emotional or physical abuse, a prisoner to low self esteem allowing others to easily manipulate and control you without acknowledging your boundaries.

Freedom is knowing and accepting yourself so well that you do not easily get triggered in the face of hostility and adversity. Freedom is the ability to draw the line on what is acceptable and what is not and allowing others to acknowledge that. This is true freedom. When you know and understand and honor yourself from the inside then you are not easily affected, triggered or manipulated by the outside.

This freedom is especially important in relationships too. Today many youngsters throw themselves into relationships such as marriage, partnerships, job opportunities expecting outward gratifications to fill them up from the inside and make them happier. Unfortunately a lot of them fail. Today there’s a shocking rise in divorce rate, unemployment and bankruptcy for exactly this reason which is that most people haven’t found happiness and satisfaction within before seeking it outwardly so again they are prisoners to outer influences. Social media and advertisements in our consumer driven world only make it worse targeting and magnifying our deepest insecurities. Consumerism purposely aggravate our deepest concerns in order to make us believe that freedom and happiness lay in material gratification. Today a lot of people are manipulated by the media to believe that happiness and wholeness is achieved by purchasing. Feeling good and satisfied within is not good for business. We see societies today obsessed with luxurious brands, race cars, expensive holidays, plastic surgery and substance abuse wether they can afford them or not and this is another form of imprisonment. The more we try to numb our inner insecurities through shopping, jumping into relationships, physical alterations or substance abuse the insecurities almost always resurface. All outward gratifications fail to provide the inward gratification achieved by self contentment and acceptance which is true freedom. Happiness starts from within and only then can you truly be free.

This is why I urge you to discover yourself, to forgive yourself and to honor yourself and your limitations and set your boundaries so you could grow and flourish with an abundance of love, faith and self acceptance. I urge you to do so so we can break the cycle to this consumer driven society that dictates how we should or shouldn’t feel or what we should be doing. How or what you should look like, how to be a better mom or earn that higher pay check. When you are thirsty and lost on the inside you are easily manipulated and distracted or triggered by the outside. So once again the real freedom lies within, in honoring and acknowledging yourself and holding on to faith and having the discipline to draw the line on what is truly important to your self and what is not.

On this note I end this months entry and I encourage you to find your passions, set some achievable goals for yourself and love the path to healing. Give yourself credit for taking the time to learn, read, meditate, excertcise and take care of yourself mentally and physically. Enjoy being you and fill yourself up from the inside before aspiring for that promotion, vacation, spouse or car for those are just the topping of the ice cream while the contents of that ice cream is all you.

Much Love!

I wish you had a blessed Eid surrounded by family and loved ones. May those who were not with us anymore be rewarded a higher honor and may we meet them again in Heaven.
Eid Mubarak from my home to yours 🌙 🕌

I am humbled and thankful for all the kind words and gestures I received on my special day. As I say goodbye to last year and hello to this year as I close my past chapter and indulge in my new one I cannot help but ponder and reminisce upon the years that passed and on all the wonderful and challenging experiences and lessons that I learned growing up. Growing older is a gift because it carries with it years of wisdom, memories and trials that if learned properly benefit you in the coming years. Today I see the blessings in all the struggles I faced and the merit behind everything I felt denied from. Today I look at mistakes or as lessons rather than harsh realities. For if you’re only growing in age and not in awareness of what is truly important in life then you are at loss.

Being a young mother and wife has given me the opportunity to learn and grow along side my husband and children. It was not always easy yet today I believe that the struggles I faced only made me stronger. My experiences as a young wife and mom also meant that I get to now enjoy this next stage of my life rediscovering and redefining myself while still at my peak. It is a luxury to be able to invest in yourself and to have the time and the consciousness to do that. Today I give myself points and am finally proud of the person I used to doubt for so long.. me… Today I am not only truly thankful and more accepting of myself today I have the courage and the confidence to stay away from situations or people who threaten my sense of self worth. Today I learn to put boundaries which serve to honor myself and then others. With the love and support of my family, husband and children I’ve learned to grow peacefully, lovingly and passionately and to redefine myself meticulously more than ever before. 🕊

Today I present some of my humble experiences and amazing things I learned over the past years in my life which contributes to this overwhelming feeling of satisfaction today. Perhaps my humble writings can form a tiny ripple of positivity in someone else’s life as we (myself included) need that strength and reminder every now and then.

Do not under estimate the power of prayer. When you remember and turn to God, God in turn remembers you and turns to you and you shall begin to see the blessings in the little and the big things in life that the All mighty bestows upon you.

Invest in your family and friends. Work on forming lasting relationships built on love, trust and mutual respect with the people you love. The happiest people are the social people who take the time to reach out and be more accepting and welcoming of their family and friends.

Learn to maintain your health physically and emotionally for you and for your family. A big lesson I learned is that a family is like a network and if one member falls an imbalance occurs. Children especially feel the pain and struggles of their parents as they are completely dependent on them for survival… so your well being is important not just to you but to those around you who love you wether children, spouses, siblings or parents… so take care of you and also remember happy wife equals happy life 😉

It is ok to have an “off day”. When feeling constricted and frustrated give yourself a break. Take time off for yourself by the beach, on a holiday or even in the solitary of your own home and breath and reflect before making any decisions or actions. Believe me this goes a long way.

Know yourself and your capabilities and honor your limitations and accept and love yourself as you are. You are human my friend.

Life is up and down so enjoy the ride. Enjoy the ups, reflect on the downs and never lose faith. Life is like a heartbeat if it were stagnant then it means you’re not living. Ask yourself during the downs what is this teaching me and practice gratitude during the ups for this is the spice of life.

You don’t have to take care or be in control of everything. You are not the master of the universe.

Go easy on your partners, children, family and friends. Understand that humans are fallible and lower the expectations. Be kind and expect nothing in return and learn to accept others as they are and watch as they flourish and become the best versions of themselves.

When it comes to parenting, the one and best advice to raising happy, independent and confident children is to show them love. Show your children love and acceptance and watch them turn into the wonderful human beings that they are sometimes even surpassing what you initially envisioned for them.

If you seek love, give love, if you seek companionship become a good companion, if you seek wealth share your wealth. We receive back what we give and send out the most.

Volunteer in a charity or a cause. Get out of your own life and try to save another’s. When we get out of our own world and our own problems and help others with theirs we rise above our egos and our struggles and we become much more appreciative.

Find your passion and you shall see that passion flourish in ways you couldn’t imagine. Set an intention to work on the things you’re passionate about wether it’s a hobby, a career, a practice and you will find bits and pieces of your passions unfold before you like a flower in bloom.

It is ok not be liked by everyone you can be the most beautiful rose and someone will still have a problem with flowers and that’s ok it is just who they are and has nothing to do with who you are.

Know how to set respectful boundaries with friends and even family. Forming healthy boundaries created respect for yourself and others.

If you make a mistake own it, apologize (even if it is to yourself) and learn to do better next time for mistakes are simply opportunities that we learn from.

Finally don’t forget to love deeply, practice faith compassionately, and be grateful eternally for a new year God has granted you. It is never too late to become a better and wiser person and pass on some of that wisdom.

May we continue growing in wisdom before age… love and peace to you all 🤍

Blessed and eternally grateful to have had the privilege to fast and pray during this holy month of Ramadan in Mecca (the holy house of God). Ramadan is also the month our Holy Quran descended upon us from God to guide us and give us direction. Ramadan isn’t only about fasting from food it is also about fasting from hatred, prejudice, envy and lust over materialistic worldly matter. Ramadan is the month of giving, sharing and forgiveness, a month that teaches us discipline through fasting revealing our true capacity and potential to be better Muslims. Once we put all our intentions and our hearts into practicing Ramadan in every aspect of it (not just the fast) we start to rise above worldly matters and limitations. We become free and closer to the divine than ever before; we reach enlightenment. I was so honored to be able to do all that in Mecca this month Allah truly loves me. So in this holy month I ask God to give me the strength and dedication to practice my faith without the distractions of worldly temptations. I pray to God that Ramadan be the beginning of instilling this discipline and strength within me to do good and to be good and to take that further with me to the rest of the year and to eternity just as he had done with the prophet pbuh and his companions thousands of years before. Lucky are those who have reached that level of discipline and awareness and who live with God in their hearts and minds. May Allah continue to bring us closer to him shedding light on what is truly important and strengthen our faith during this holy month of Ramadan and after. 🌙 🤲🏻

May Allah bless our good deeds & help us overcome our shortcomings for indeed he is the all merciful and the all forgiving. 🕊

About Mrs. Thornton

After 22 years I get the chance to acknowledge one of my most favorite teachers in the world. Even after all these years Mrs. Thornton still stands out as one of the kindest most righteous teachers I have ever known. I am Sarah Al Khajah and I’m from the United Arab Emirates. I joined ACST in 1993. I was in the seventh grade and I was a very shy and quiet 13 year old. I remember being so nervous in my first English class with Mrs. Thornton even though the rest of the students seemed laid back and at ease. I sat rigid, motionless just staring at my new teacher following her every word and her every move. Sitting there completely silent and wide eyed I remember Mrs. Thornton pausing in the middle of her lecture, she looked at me and asked me in front of everyone “Do you understand?” I think in my effort to appear studious and concentrated and being so nervous I appeared a little lost and overwhelmed haha… totally not the impression I wanted to give. As the weeks passed by I became more at ease and comfortable in her class and I understood why everyone else was, because that’s how you eventually felt in Mrs. Thorntons class, you felt safe and at ease. I never felt that way in any other class before, Mrs. Thornton had this calm, motherly and safe aura around her whenever she taught us and where ever she went.

The things I learned in Mrs. Thornton’s English class weren’t just academic but character building as well. She didn’t just teach from the books she taught from the heart. Mrs. Thornton was passionate about English and literature and that passion resonated in class and kept us captivated.

Thinking back to my English lessons, I never understood the concept of keeping a reading journal but today I wish my children kept one as well in their school. I always liked to read but in Mrs. Thornton’s class I read with passion. One of her most famous quotes was: “A good reader is a good writer,” and that motivated me to read even more. I learned the different symbols used to edit writing and I learned the proper methods of bibliography.. things that I wish kids learned more of today.

All I can say is I wish more teachers taught the way Mrs. Thornton taught. It actually saddens me that in today’s technologically crazed, iPad obsessed, fast paced generation, children lack the basic tools and motivation required for reading and writing properly. I find myself at parent teacher conferences constantly referring to my old teachers and comparing them to my children’s current ones. I would always recount the way I was taught by my former teachers such as Mrs. Thornton as opposed to the way they are taught today.. With Mrs. Thornton we were the golden generation of students receiving only educational excellence.

Mrs. Thornton if you are reading this I want you to know I am who I am today, a passionate reader, writer and mother because of you. After grade 11 my family moved to Brussels, Belgium. The English teachers there were impressed by my writing and most of the books we were assigned to read I had already read years before with Mrs. Thornton. English class was just too easy after her and my writing assignments were always praised and read out loud. I owe all that to you Mrs. Thornton.

I am glad I had the honor to be one of Mrs. Thornton’s students. We read and wrote things beyond our years which made us wiser and better learners. Teachers today could learn a lot from teachers such as Mrs. Thornton. Thank you Mrs. Thornton and bless you for everything.

In a country so new and so grand it is inevitable all the attention it receives by several media outlets, tabloids and other countries. For it is only those countries and those people who are exemplary and stand out and shine that get the most scrutiny. Yet, if modern times add to that the pandemic we are still struggling with has taught us anything at all it is that we cannot always rely nor trust everything we read or even see… With all the new technological advancements today and social media platforms one should always ask him/herself first “does this even make sense?” before adhering to what is being told.

This month I spread awareness over an issue that affects me personally. An issue regarding the misrepresentations and misconceptions circulated about my country the United Arab Emirates by several international media channels and outlets. Media in the West specifically purposely try to demonize, belittle and sensationalize news and facts about my country. The whole world is in awe at how and why we are the great country we are today and cannot comprehend all the hard work and effort that goes on behind the scenes. During my travels I get asked a lot about my country by curious bystanders, and I’m more than happy to share with them how and why my country is so great and so advanced, why it is the leading and safest Arab country in the world and why it is amongst the top most modern, most accommodating and most advanced counties in the world.

So in this months entry I defend my country against ridiculous allegations and portrayals by the media in the West specifically. Yes we are a new country that has reached its milestone in less than a century but it wasn’t as easy as those media channels try to portray. The United Arab Emirates has spent billions and trillions of dollars and has taken many risks while keeping its citizens a priority to ensure the progression into what it is today. We never deny that our great grandfathers lived a humble life in the hot desert sands working as fishermen, or in trade and pearl diving to earn a living. We have paid our dues and still are to achieve this standard of modernity and success. However certain media channels being followed by the masses are unfortunately just sensationalizing our entire community which the majority of today are expatriates and not even UAE nationals. Many media outlets make the United Arab Emirates look like it is the country of easy money and the filthy rich or otherwise the underprivileged and abused. This is a common and ridiculous misconception. We are a proud country and a proud people yet the majority of us just like all other people around the world do work very hard to afford a comfortable life and a lot of people are overworked and live paycheck to paycheck as well just like elsewhere in the world.

So be selective in what you observe, what you read, what you digest and who you follow. For consciously or unconsciously we become what we feed our minds and our bodies. Do your own research before following the masses in any subject and specifically regarding my UAE and understand that a lot of the media is only portraying and exaggerating certain aspects of my country and not the whole… And this is another price we pay for being so famous and so grand.

So watch what you see, read or hear, trust your instincts and do your research. Have a great February and many thanks for taking the time to read my humble entries.

Much love!

As we share our happy moments and take pictures of joy and as we welcome the new year with open arms let us take a moment to pray and remember those less fortunate than us. Those whose year was spent in war, instability, famine and loss… let’s aspire to be better people and to be of better service to those around us, for our happiness cannot be complete with the suffering of others. Let us not take another year for granted and let’s truly appreciate all that we have for there are those who are living with much less. May God continue to bestow upon us his many blessings while reminding us to stay humble and grateful, and may the almighty forgive us when we forget and make the material world our main concern.
Happy New Year 🤍