Ive been gratitude challenged :-) so, Ill be posting 3 things that Im grateful for over 3 days. Thanks so much, Cheryl Smith. Ill never do the ice bucket thing but this is a wonderful challenge: 1. Im grateful that Allah (swt) blessed me with a life more wonderful than I could have ever dreamed and has always protected me and my children. A wonderful life is NOT synonymous with an easy life. So knowing that in the vastness of His creation, Allah (swt) alone is All Powerful, All Hearing, Ever-Present, and responsive to the needs of someone as insignificant as me, is the greatest thing in the world. To be honest, I cant even express my gratitude enough; my praise is insufficient for His greatness. 2. I am beyond grateful to the wonderful friends and family who fill my life with love. Beginning with my sons, who truly taught me what love is and what we do for those we love. To my family, which is defined by love not blood, who have walked through fire with me (and helped me through more than a few complete disasters). To my sweetheart, who is teaching me that my walls should be used more for keeping delight than avoiding pain. To my friends both on and offline. I am grateful for Nilofer Alii, Anjum Ali, Dawood Ali, Mary (both of them), Umar Ali, Aamina Ali-Ahmed, Ali Muhammad Baghdadi, Billy Balogun, Lerniada Coulter, Marchelle Elliott, Bryant Coulter, Diane Soloman, Miguel Braun, Nazir Artista Hussain, Asim Hussain, Noor Abdallah, Negat, Ali, Imaani Ali, Sabreen Ali, Arshia Ali-Khan, Rubina Khan and more. I CHOCOLATE thank you! 3. I am immensely grateful for my mentors, who step by step paved a better way for me. Barry Greenwald, thanks for honing my leadership skills and empathy, for showing me that there was a next step and that I could take it, for the hypnotherapy that allowed me to tolerate all of the procedures needed to save my babys life, for your chocolate parties, for making me carol during Christmas in Marges fur then explaining that I dont have to leave my coat at home each year to avoid caroling, and for my family of liners! Neil Pliskin, thank you for taking me as your student one day after Jerry rejected me :); thank you for trusting me with your research; thank you for a thousand letters of recommendation; thank you for your ever-present encouragement; thank you for making my dissertation a truly enjoyable experience; thank you for taking me with you from U of C to UIC; thank you for reminding me that failure is another door to success; and thank you---from the bottom of my heart---for teaching me the skills that have allowed me take care of my family. Were it not for God placing me on your path, I would have lost my home and, sometimes, myself. Maureen Stress. Denise Fiducia, and Teresa Deer, who I know think of themselves as my colleagues and not my mentors---thank you for encouraging me to open my private practice and for all of your tips along the way. Sandra Pye, Nathalie Payne, and Larry Minkoff, thank you for holding me to the highest educational standards, even when I was a schmuck; RIP Nathalie and Larry---may God hold you in His Grace. Whew! Thats just the first 3 yall!!! I nominate Nilofer Ali, Arshia Ali-Khan, and Miguel Braun. :)
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 19:46:08 +0000