The Lanterns Are Lit! | 16 Years of Ramadan Diaries

 

This year marks 16 yrs of Ramadan Diaries. Over time I’ve added delicious recipes comics, video diaries, & poetry. Earlier I had seasonal themes: Repentance, Gratitude, Realigning My Compass. The Diaries blossomed as life progressed. Niblings were born and their Ramadan gift baskets, crafty activities, countdown chocolates, and treat ideas added an adorable touch. As work grew and chaos of adult life mounted, I added time management, mindfulness, self care, and emotional management to the mix. This is the last Ramadan of my 30’s era. A new chapter is beginning, insha’Allah. “The lanterns are lit!” - (say that like Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, haha! “The beacons are lit!)
It’s more than just coincidence to reach Surah Ahqaf in the last tier of my Tafseer study to find the very Quranic verse (Ahqaf, 15) that talks about the milestone of turning 40.
“In time, when the child reaches their prime at the age of forty, they pray, “My Lord! Inspire me to ˹always˺ be thankful for Your favors which You blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please You. And instill righteousness in my offspring. I truly repent to You, and I truly submit ˹to Your Will.”
Allah’s instruction for Life’s 40th milestone: Recognize my full strength and maturity, be grateful for His Favors, be kind to parents, revive repentance, commit to goodness - 100% to please Him, pray for righteousness in children (my Niblings, to be their role model), submit / surrender / have blind faith in His Will for the future.
This purposefully grounds my restless mind. This is the station where I reflect, revive repentance, and fully submit to His Will (His Qadr). I have always lived by “God is my co-pilot”. It’s time to realize, He’s More - He owns the airspace I’m flying in. He doesn’t just have my back, He has my skies, my grounding, my existence.

Going forward, inshaAllah, it’s set to become a legacy of a woman who gave life her best shot regardless of commonly followed paths. Because … He’s writing my story and He only Writes Masterpieces.