23 replies to this topic

[UmmAhmad]

Salam alaikum my sisters,

This morning as I was going about my daily housework, I was deep in thought of my life when I was younger. Maybe some of you won't believe that there are people still living like this in the USA, but this is the life that I lived while growing up and I wouldn't change for anything!

When I was with my father there were 8 of us- 6 kids and the parents- in a 1 bedroom, 1 kitchen, and 1 living room house. Our closest neighbor was maybe 1-2 miles away. Yes my siblings and I slept on the floor on a thin mat. In the winter we would wake up to keep the wood stove stocked up, there wasn't a day off for us- except for Saturday where we were forbidden to work for religious reasons- there was always wood to cut, a garden to tend to, clothes to wash out by hand- we didn't have a washer or dryer. We didn't have a bathroom, we had an outhouse. We didn't have a television and I didn't even know that Ipods, MP3 players even existed until I left home.

Every morning and evening I milked the goats while my little sisters tended to the chickens and my brothers took care of the horses. We would take a trip to the town once a week, not including the day we would go to church. Saturday nights family's would all meet in one home and we would have all of the people gifted with playing instruments get together. We only knew the traditional music of our area, bluegrass.

Those days my biggest worry was if I would get rained on while picking berries or harvesting the vegetables for a truck and garden farm that was owned by a Mennonite family. Yes I quit school when I was 14 to help my family out financially. I would work all day on the Mennonite farm and in the evening continue my education by teaching myself. When I was 16 I got my GED only missing 2 points of getting a 2 year scholarship for college. 16 was when everything changed, I moved out from my family and boarded with the family I worked for sending my weekly earnings to my father. When I was 17 I went to college, there is where I began learning about Islam by researching it myself. When I was 18 I accepted Islam. Since then I haven't lived in the country. Yes, I love the conveniences of the city, but at times I miss the simplicity of the country and my childhood.

What are some of your memories growing up?

Edited by UmmAhmad, 12 July 2012 - 09:43 AM.

[Hasan0404]

mA sis, u survived such hardships, u made ur contribution even when u were mere a kid, u discovered and learned islam on ur own, u are the lucky. Allah have blessings on u and ur family.

[UmmAhmad]

tazaabha, on 12 July 2012 - 10:18 AM, said:

Very cool! Did you wear traditional modest Mennonite clothing (according to Google)?



Out of the 6 children, which number are you?

I grew up on a fake farm in Western New York. I think it used to be a farm but we didn't use any of the equipment left over (so I didn't learn the work ethic that you did). We had a huge barn, tractor, lots of wheat and land. Neighbors were scarce but one neighbor did use to give us delicious rhubarb. At that time there were 8-11 (depending on circumstances) of us living in the house but ours was two stories Alhumdulillah so not as crowded. Anyway, that life was nice--very simple.

I was the first born, then there were 3 brothers after me, and two sisters. We were not Mennonite, but we did dress similar to them. I wore a white cover like in the picture but it was different. Just a square cloth folded in half and tied from behind. We also sewed our own clothes- which comes in handy for me because now I can sew my own abaya's.

Edited by UmmAhmad, 12 July 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[Laayla]

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum Umm Ahmad,

Thank you for sharing.

It's amazing how things turn around. For me growing up I would do simple house work. Once in awhile do the dishes, vaccum, fold the laundry...

Now, after marriage and kids, all the responsibility is on me, and I look back when I was younger and I had it easy.

May I ask, how do you motivate yourself in doing the housework? The tasks in Lebanon differ from the States. Where in order to clean the floors you have to pour water and squiggie it, and then dry with a dry cloth when you are done. A lot of women complain of back and shoulder problems. Or they have maids that clean.

Alhamd'Allah I'm in good health, but cleaning is a cumbersome task. It takes up the whole freakin' day. I end up staying at home and can't go out because I'm exhausted. Which makes me moody and irritable, because I don't see the sun and stuck in four walls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's more, but I'm not the complaining type of gal, I'm just trying to change the perception of my thinking and I want to feel better and not angry all the time.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

>

Edited by Laayla, 12 July 2012 - 10:43 AM.

[UmmAhmad]

Laayla, on 12 July 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum Umm Ahmad,

Thank you for sharing.

It's amazing how things turn around. For me growing up I would do simple house work. Once in awhile do the dishes, vaccum, fold the laundry...

Now, after marriage and kids, all the responsibility is on me, and I look back when I was younger and I had it easy.

May I ask, how do you motivate yourself in doing the housework? The tasks in Lebanon differ from the States. Where in order to clean the floors you have to pour water and squiggie it, and then dry with a dry cloth when you are done. A lot of women complain of back and shoulder problems. Or they have maids that clean.

Alhamd'Allah I'm in good health, but cleaning is a cumbersome task. It takes up the whole freakin' day. I end up staying at home and can't go out because I'm exhausted. Which makes me moody and irritable, because I don't see the sun and stuck in four walls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's more, but I'm not the complaining type of gal, I'm just trying to change the perception of my thinking and I want to feel better and not angry all the time.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

>

I live in the city now so my life is really easy compared to when I was with my father. I have a list of things I do and spread them out through the week. There are things I do daily, such as washing dishes, tidying the rooms and sweeping the floors, etc. Then there are the things I do every other day such as cleaning the bathroom, washing laundry, sanitizing the floors- I use water a vinegar in a spray bottle and saturate the floors then take a dry mop and dry the floor. Makes the linoleum wood floors really shiny. I also use vinegar water as a multi-purpose cleaner. It works for dusting, sanitizing the kitchen counters, shines up the sinks, cleaning mirrors, just you have to use newspaper for the mirrors. And 2xs a month I dust the walls wash the baseboards, clean the refrigerator, re-organize the closets, etc. If you spread out your house work then you have extra time in the day for going out.

[Faatima_ki_kaneez]

UmmAhmad, on 12 July 2012 - 11:08 AM, said:

I live in the city now so my life is really easy compared to when I was with my father. I have a list of things I do and spread them out through the week. There are things I do daily, such as washing dishes, tidying the rooms and sweeping the floors, etc. Then there are the things I do every other day such as cleaning the bathroom, washing laundry, sanitizing the floors- I use water a vinegar in a spray bottle and saturate the floors then take a dry mop and dry the floor. Makes the linoleum wood floors really shiny. I also use vinegar water as a multi-purpose cleaner. It works for dusting, sanitizing the kitchen counters, shines up the sinks, cleaning mirrors, just you have to use newspaper for the mirrors. And 2xs a month I dust the walls wash the baseboards, clean the refrigerator, re-organize the closets, etc. If you spread out your house work then you have extra time in the day for going out.

Do you work? or are you a home-maker?

your story is inspirational. Allah truly does work in mysterious ways. Here I was feeling sorry for myself and my situation. And then I read your post and realized how good i have it. That always seems to happen to me. I start getting depressed, then randomly I'll see a video or read a story that makes me feel so ashamed for ever forgetting the blessings I've been given.

[UmmAhmad]

Faatima_ki_kaneez, on 13 July 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

Do you work? or are you a home-maker?

your story is inspirational. Allah truly does work in mysterious ways. Here I was feeling sorry for myself and my situation. And then I read your post and realized how good i have it. That always seems to happen to me. I start getting depressed, then randomly I'll see a video or read a story that makes me feel so ashamed for ever forgetting the blessings I've been given.

I am a homemaker Alhamdulilah that my story helped you, I was only sharing, didn't realize it would help someone.

[Laayla]

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum Sister Umm Ahmad,

I just wanted to share that today I cooked with a smile on my face.  Alhamd'Allah I was thinking of this thread, and for some reason or another, when I was cooking I was happy.  Sub7an'Allah, such a rare thing for me.

I gotta tell you what I made.

A dish of green beans and onions minus the tomatoe puree (usually this is called lubya bezayt, but I didn't add the tomatoes like I said)

Kafta and potato stew with rice

A bowl of salad

Again thank you for sharing your story and explaining how you manage your house.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

[UmmAhmad]

Laayla, on 13 July 2012 - 04:44 PM, said:

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum Sister Umm Ahmad,

I just wanted to share that today I cooked with a smile on my face.  Alhamd'Allah I was thinking of this thread, and for some reason or another, when I was cooking I was happy.  Sub7an'Allah, such a rare thing for me.

I gotta tell you what I made.

A dish of green beans and onions minus the tomatoe puree (usually this is called lubya bezayt, but I didn't add the tomatoes like I said)

Kafta and potato stew with rice

A bowl of salad

Again thank you for sharing your story and explaining how you manage your house.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

Masha'Allah, that sounds delicious! We have a saying in the area I am from, "If Mama isn't happy, nobody's happy." Alhamdulilah that you made a meal with a smile and a happy heart.

Tonight we are having stuffed peppers, Kuwaiti curried chicken, plain basmati rice and salad.

[I Believe]

Your post is so refreshing!Thank you for sharing It really made me count my blessings for my childhood. But you're rich in memories

[UmmAhmad]

I Believe, on 13 July 2012 - 09:05 PM, said:

Your post is so refreshing!Thank you for sharing It really made me count my blessings for my childhood. But you're rich in memories

Thank you! I am looking forward to when I can tell my stories to my little one! My brothers and I had so many adventures when we were younger, and got into a lot of mischief!

[3laweyaZainabiya]

sister,

Thank you for sharing, those sound like awesome memories and insha'Allah you'll make more as time passes by.
masha'Allah you're a very strong woman.
Most in your shoes would freak out at the fact that they haven't had the "freedom" that city kids have.
You taught yourself and helped support your family. Seems to me you were always a muslimah, you just didn't realize it yet


I don't have many memories as I tend to block many. May Allah bless us all with an amazing life filled with memories



I've

[Gotham]

wow, that is really cool honestly. ive seen those kinds of houses upstate, and i think its awesome that people in the us are still living like this. we're too materialistic and city obsessed.

i was 10 times more God-fearing back when i was a kid. i remember in a lecture during muharrum, the sister said that sinners would be crushed by the earth in their graves. i cried so much on the car ride home, imagining a huge globe rolling over my grave.
i was a huge bookworm then. when i would find a really interesting book, id read it over and over again. s.e. hinton's "the outsiders" was my favorite book

[UmmAhmad]

haidernyc, on 15 July 2012 - 03:32 AM, said:

wow, that is really cool honestly. ive seen those kinds of houses upstate, and i think its awesome that people in the us are still living like this. we're too materialistic and city obsessed.

i was 10 times more God-fearing back when i was a kid. i remember in a lecture during muharrum, the sister said that sinners would be crushed by the earth in their graves. i cried so much on the car ride home, imagining a huge globe rolling over my grave.
i was a huge bookworm then. when i would find a really interesting book, id read it over and over again. s.e. hinton's "the outsiders" was my favorite book

When I was younger I use to enjoy reading as well, but I think I burnt out on it. I haven't ever heard of "The Outsider's" what is it about?

3laweyaZainabiya, on 15 July 2012 - 01:17 AM, said:

sister,

Thank you for sharing, those sound like awesome memories and insha'Allah you'll make more as time passes by.
masha'Allah you're a very strong woman.
Most in your shoes would freak out at the fact that they haven't had the "freedom" that city kids have.
You taught yourself and helped support your family. Seems to me you were always a muslimah, you just didn't realize it yet


I don't have many memories as I tend to block many. May Allah bless us all with an amazing life filled with memories



I've

Wa alaikum Salam!
Thank you for the kind words.

[UmmAhmad]

Here are some photos of some various places I have been that I posted on my blog recently.

http://asisterofisla...-2010-2012.html

[Sapphire]

Thank you sister for sharing.

[Walkin' Fashion Statement]

Sisterrrrrr!! You're my role model

[Gotham]

UmmAhmad, on 15 July 2012 - 08:03 AM, said:

When I was younger I use to enjoy reading as well, but I think I burnt out on it. I haven't ever heard of "The Outsider's" what is it about?

sorry for the uber late reply! "the outsiders" is about a 14 year-old kid trying to cope with social class struggles, and issues he faces in life. its a very powerful book, the characters are deep. i bawled my eyes out when i first read it.

[3laweyaZainabiya]

haidernyc, on 08 August 2012 - 07:51 AM, said:

sorry for the uber late reply! "the outsiders" is about a 14 year-old kid trying to cope with social class struggles, and issues he faces in life. its a very powerful book, the characters are deep. i bawled my eyes out when i first read it.

I didn't like it o.o

[Gotham]

3laweyaZainabiya, on 08 August 2012 - 09:29 AM, said:

I didn't like it o.o

heh kidding.

[alabrar]

thats a really inspirational story....but a question, how did you tell your parents about you converting to islam, and how did they accept you being a muslim?

[UmmAhmad]

alabrar, on 14 August 2012 - 12:41 AM, said:

thats a really inspirational story....but a question, how did you tell your parents about you converting to islam, and how did they accept you being a muslim?

I wrote them a letter since I lived far from them. My mother and her side of the family are accepting of it. They always encouraged us as children to follow what we believe. My father on the other hand is an elder of the local church and now, after almost 2 years, still gives me a scary scowl. My daddy is a big man, a logger, so he scares me. LOL Apparently he thinks we should follow what we were raised to believe.

[alabrar]

well when you have the courage to face your parents and tell them about a change of belief, then no one else matters! congrats of ure bravery lol

[UmmAhmad]

alabrar, on 18 August 2012 - 11:25 PM, said:

well when you have the courage to face your parents and tell them about a change of belief, then no one else matters! congrats of ure bravery lol

I did visit them about 7 months after my reversion. I don't have loads of money so it isn't always possible to just go several states over to visit them.