Sonya Syed

Faith makes all things possible, Hope makes all things work, Love makes all things beautiful, May you have all the three for this Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all my Christian readers. May we all live in Peace and Harmony in all the years to come.. Sonya. (Day 255 a)

It’s been quite a while since my last post but honesty speaking I wasn’t in a mind frame to do anything. I was busy doing some hard core internal work but before going into detailed discussion on that subject I think its better to share lighter moments, I attended a very first baby shower of my life. It was a close gathering at my best friend’s house of her younger sister’s surprise baby shower. Although we don’t usually have this sort of ritual in our families but a little get together and delicious food is always welcome.  Besides the food, the decorations and arrangements were simply splendid, every detail was meticulously taken care of. She has prepared for the event with her other best friend and whenever she discussed those details with me I got overwhelmed by her planning.   After the lunch when everyone was at the peak levels of energy I was drowsy with the effect of carbohydrates.  All in all it was wonderful, mom-to-be was happy and all of u...

Five cardinal principles to heal and be healed for a lifetime…. FOR TODAY I WILL NOT WORRY. FOR TODAY I WILL NOT BE ANGRY. FOR TODAY I WILL BE HONEST. FOR TODAY I WILL COUNT MY BLESSINGS. FOR TODAY I WILL SHOW LOVE AND RESPECT TO EVERY LIVING BEING.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Each day is a lifetime in miniature! To awaken every morning is be born again,    To fall asleep at night is to die to the day. In between waking and sleeping are the golden hours of the day. What we think we cannot do for lifetime , We can do for day time . Anyone can strive to be happy for a day and to spread happiness around.   Anyone can rise above fear for a day and meet each situation with courage. Anyone can hold his temper for a day and gurad the words he speaks. Anyone can remain honest for a day and carry his burden heroically. Anyone ca...

For some time I wanted to go for natural alternatives for aerosols like air-freshener and mosquito repellants and anywhere I turned for some guidance I couldn’t find suitable alternative. I have tried incense sticks (Agarbatti) but their sharp aroma gave me a headache and with the kind of toxins that are included in these sticks the idea was quickly rejected. So yesterday when I read somewhere about burning frankincense (Loban or لوبان ) for fragrance it caught my attention. After a bit research I found that frankincense (an aromatic gum resin obtained from African and Asian trees of the genus Boswellia) , is not only a natural bacteria killer and mosquito repellant but it has profound effects on mental states of a person. John Hopkins University conducted a research on the effects of natural aromas and found that aroma of burning frankincense is highly effective for depression, anxiety, bronchitis, laryngitis, ulcers, nausea, hypertension, and so on. The smell of frankin...

What makes one truly rich when there is a lot of money in your bank account or when people pray for you without you asking them to do so. Of course having a heavy bank account is a nice thought but what is more wonderful is when people who are not living in your proximity, or they are not related to you by blood, or with whom you are not meeting on daily basis so they would remember you in prayers and still they pray for your peace and health. I feel abundant and extremely rich today when my childhood friend Maria whom I hardly see or talk in months told me that she always pray for my peace of mind. One of my senior lawyer on his return after performing Hajj told me that my name came to his mind even in the hustle of the pilgrim and he too prayed for my peace of mind. These people who I meet sometimes in months or years not only remembers me but pray for me; what more could I want from life.   It makes me wonder that my not-so-peaceful state of mind is evident to so m...

Even though if one doesn’t belong to any particular religious sect but it is in the days of Moharram, the first month of new Islamic year, there is a certain melancholy in the air. We collectively experience this sorrow in the form of frustration or boredom, irritation or even lethargy without apparent reasons. The tragedy of the Great Sacrifice made by the Grand Children of Prophet Muhammad ( May Peace Be Upon Them) and their Companions shall always remain with all of us till eternity. The guilt however is that we as Muslims have failed miserably to uphold the dignity of those Great Sacrifices which were done for us. From tomorrow starts the new week with the routine hustle bustle and for me it would have few new activities; this has been a long weekend of holidays with hardly any outdoor activity. I was eager to do something creative with the evening time and now I have an idea as to what I shall be doing. Lately mind has become devoid of any thoughts, which is actua...

I need to have some interesting activity for my evenings as it in these very moments I am most disillusioned and have no particular direction to do anything. There are options of watching TV and of course computer and a connection with you all. However, in order to be with you with all my focus and heightened senses I need some beforehand zest. There is a pile of papers sitting on my desk and rather than handling it I am trying my best to avoid this bunch. When we decide to do something our mind’s preconceived ideas about the result of our work sets the mood. If we know that there is a possibility of favorable results we would give our heart and soul to the work. On the other hand if we believe that the outcome might be gloomy we tend to shy away from that work. Our mind decides everything for us in advance. The question here is how does it know all that when it hasn’t even tried. Definitely there are ground realities and on the basis of   which realities our mind rati...