I can’t believe how busy I’ve been this week. I, who usually do something fun roughly every six months, have been out almost every other day this week. Saturday: Lunch with friends, Tuesday: Dinner with Friends, Today: Book club with friends, Tomorrow: Anti-war art exhibit, This Saturday: Tea and then to an art gallery. I’m not bragging, I’m just kinda overwhelmed. Yeah, I’m having a blast, but having fun is hard work!

Speaking of work, the most hysterical thing happened to me at work today. I was praying Maghrib in one of my student’s houses, when her absolutely precious, very serious, and very shy three-and-a-half year old son opened his bedroom door a crack and peeked at me with one eye. (He was supposed to be taking a nap, but he snuck out.) I could see him, though I wasn’t looking directly at him, as he opened the door and stood there uncertainly for a sec with a toy car in his hand. Then he started sneaking up on me, inching his feet forward in tiny little steps.

You could tell he was not trying to make any noise. I, in the mean time, was trying not to burst out laughing in the middle of my prayer. He would sneak a little, and then stop, and then sneak a little, and stop. It took two rakahs, but he finally snuck all the way up to the prayer rug, where he lined his little toes up on the edge, and parked his toy car neatly next to them.

When I went into Rukuh, he bent over and looked up at my face. When I went into sajdah, he squatted down and tried to see whatever it was I was looking at on the floor. I have never had such a difficult time praying, biting my lower lip hard to keep from laughing on loud, while he peered into my face with his very serious little eyes. When I finished my prayer and did dua, he sat down on the floor and very somberly put his toy car on the prayer rug. Then he went ‘pbbbbbb’ and pushed it to my knee. I took the car and pushed it back, and we played with his car for a few minutes on the prayer rug. Then I made a face at him, which he giggled at, then imitated, and I went back downstairs to finish teaching my lesson. He came down after me a few minutes later, bringing a lizard man and a Goku (from Dragon Ball Z) toy. While his mother was doing some class work, I got to be Goku and he got to be lizard man. Since he speaks mostly Turkish, our play consisted mostly of sound effects. I can honestly say I haven’t had so much fun in a long time.

MashaAllah, kids are so amazing. I’m not gonna sit here gushing about it though. If you know little kids, then you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know yet, you’ll find out eventually. I have one nephew, my brother’s son, who I miss like crazy. He lived with us for six months, from when he was five months old, and it’s the most amazing thing to watch a kid come alive...to become interactive! He started out this pink, squishy little thing that just cooed and looked stunned all the time. But by the time he left, he was crawling around the house in fast-forward, blowing squishy, wet-sounding noises on your cheeks (that was his idea of a kiss) and giggling all the time. I miss him so much...

The following verse from the Qur’an has little or nothing to do with children, but it’s a really good one, especially since some of my comrades in Blogistan have been feeling low lately (Serious Usman, Shad and a few others) and when people feel low, sometimes they become more susceptible to the suggestions Enemy Number One, Shaitan. Here we go: “If a suggestion from Satan assails thy mind, seek refuge with Allah, for He hears and knows all things.” Surah Al-Araf, ayah 200.

It’s true you know, since Allah hears and knows all, He knows exactly what you’re dealing with and can help ya! :) Peace!

posted by Abez @ 4/10/2003 10:51:00 PM