Just warning  you, this will be a rambling post. One of my nieces (actually she’s my husband’s cousin’s daughter) just called me this afternoon, out of the blue, and excitedly thanked me for the Eid gift. She said she almost had tears in her eyes she was so happy with what I’d given her! This […]

What a time it’s been! Part of me just wants to curl up into a ball and cry over what’s happening in Gaza! And yet with the end of Ramadan, and the beginning of Eid, and the big party I had planned, and all the presents and the food and the celebrating, that just wasn’t […]

So this year I went back to my favourite version of the Quran–the A. Yusuf Ali translation. It’s the translation I grew up with, with the Arabic Quran (the actual Quran is in Arabic–the English is always a translation!) on the right side of the page and the English translation with its attempts at Olde […]

Oh how quickly the year has passed. Mind you it does come ten days earlier than the Gregorian calendar. It’s funny with Ramadan, I always approach it with a mixture of dread and excitement. And yet, when it arrives there’s such a blessing of peace! It’s like no other time! Reminds me of the days […]

Yesterday I went down to Kitchener to be part of the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener event. Did some storytelling a few years ago for them, and they were so sweet! And they asked so nicely, that even though I’m pretty tired and feel a bit burned out by the hectic schedule I’ve been […]

A few weeks ago I was invited to tell during the entertainment session of the ISNA convention. That’s the Islamic Society of North America (Canada branch). Had a great time, went well, but got home and  hubby asked which story I told. When I told him one of them was Dajan Tigh, he said, “Oh […]

Just when you get some time off…some health problem surfaces! You get a cold, or allergies or the flu or something starts aching. Been dealing with some stuff over the past few days, not fun, and yet it feels really good to get back to some projects! I really can’t believe that half the year […]

Last Saturday I had two presentations at public libraries in Milton. Now with increased immigration and the flocking of these immigrants to big cities like Toronto, it seems that white people are moving further out to the suburbs. According to that book Boom Bust and Echo, this is a normal stage of the baby boomers […]

I’m trying to figure something out. There seems to be a sort of disconnect between my writing and my stage persona. And yet there shouldn’t be. I’m still struggling with it. Needless to say I’ve been very busy! Still busy, but I’m not complaining. I’m musing. Had an interesting presentation for 0-4 year olds at […]

Had a fascinating conversation with a librarian today! That’s not surprising of course! Librarians tend to be great thinkers and it’s almost more unusual NOT to have a fascinating conversation with them! But what was intriguing was the consensus we both came to. She, a devout Catholic, me a practicing Muslim, we talked about how […]