Friday, February 24, 2012

Happiness... Day 18

Picture: http://retrophones.blogsome.com/

Despite the sad and depressing news I received about a dear friend's father yesterday afternoon, I have to persevere with this challenge. It was difficult to write this post and think of the little things I was grateful for when my friend and her family are now in pain.

3 Things I am grateful for:

1.Phones. It is such a relief to know that dialing a few numbers on a phone can hook you up with a dear one in a matter of a few seconds. To hear a person's voice on the other end always brings comfort to my soul. It helps to connect people and share happy as well as sad moments. If I were cut off from any Internet or phone connection there would not have been a way for me to contact my dear friend and share in her sorrows. Despite the fact that the situation we were communicating about was sad, I was happy to have heard her voice and express how much I wanted to be next to her shouldering her pain.

2.  Compassion. Yesterday, the flood relief committee had a meeting to discuss what to do with the rest of the money that was collected during the donation drive towards the end of the last year. There were so many families and schools that needed help and I could not help but be grateful for the sense of compassion that was circulating the room by students and teachers. Without compassion where would this world be?

3. Healthy children. During the meeting yesterday, they were talking about two children who obviously had some physical and cognitive challenges. I do not like the word disabilities at all and therefore try my best to avoid using it. It is so hard for them to move around especially when their houses have been flooded and the whole area around them has been left with junk and debris from the receding waters. I was grateful to have two children who were healthy, Ilhamdullillah and Mashallah.

Journal Entry

After the depressing meeting we had about the situation in schools and many houses around Thailand at the moment, I came home to find out that one of my best friend's father had passed away. So not a very good start to a Journal Entry is it? 

So let me squeeze my brain for something positive to write about...let me see.. .... blink blink blinking of the cursor... still nothing...

Ok... I sent pictures of my children over the past year to a company that made cardboard books of them. I am happy that these books will remain for a long time for my children and I do not have to worry about the photos getting bent, discolored or damaged. I cannot wait to receive the final product and have the children enjoy looking at them. I love pictures as I mentioned before as they are a way to capture and fossilize my memories.

4 comments:

Jan said...

So sorry to hear about your friend's loss Lana. I am just catching up with all of your happiness posts after not being around so much this week. You are a wonderful reminder of how this practice is such a valuable one, especially on days like these. xx

Anonymous said...

It's always good to take a moment to appreciate healthy children. I have nothing but respect for parents of children with extra challenges - it must take amazing strength.

And I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your friends father.

Tabouleh said...

Thank you for the condolences sweet Jan...I cannot imagine how hurt and sad she must feel...
Thank you for your compliments... this exercise is actually been good for me... I intend to keep it up a few times a week after this.

Tabouleh said...

You are so right Kim... It must be a challenge for the parents of such special children... but they rise above it and do the most amazing things for their children.
Thank you for your condolences.. It must be so hard for her and her mom... I just wished I was close to her.