Summoning
The purpose of this newsletter has been to keep track of our weeks and our thoughts and conversations. & function as a creative outlet for us.
Since our last peice, there have been many special and a few crazy moments, but these past few weeks have whizzed by so fast that I have found it tricky to find the time to sit down gather my thoughts and single out a particular moment to write about.
Now, here we are, Ramadan 2024, and even though the last 10 days of this sacred month have come so quickly it feels like an ambush. Still, Ramadan has brought with it its characteristic chance for pause.
I am grateful for this space because of how it encourages me to summon a feeling.
Since the last time of writing the average age of my family has plummeted due to the birth of my niece. Alhamdulilah.
& This week I observed a cherished tradition: attending the Root25 Ramadan iftaar. Our host, Mabrub, moments before expertly flipping the Gazan Maglooba, the main course for the evening, said something to the 18 of us in attendance that has stuck with me:
the most impactful actions are those done consistently and in congregation A simple recipe. Only two ingredients.
We pray five times a day, Come rain or shine. And often together: In our thousands, in our millions.
The feeling I am trying to summon today is optimism. The feeling of hopefulness and confidence about our future.
This sacred month I have stood, sat and walked in congregations and witnessed far too much good, from far too many people to feel to feel anything else.
A Strong Community
A strong community is nothing more than a human body
A set of mirrors reflecting human potential
A remedy for dependency, despondency, and self-sufficiency
A stadium for competition
Filled with players fixated on contribution
Exercising imagination
In a constant state of observation
Noticing who’s missing
Who’s still in detention
Who’s just come out of prison
Who’s expecting
Who needs food that’s home cooked, slow cooked
What gifts should I be sharing?
When there’s enough for one, there’s enough for two
When you finish praying
You look to the side
Until all you see are parts of you
Until all we see are parts of us that make us one
A strong community reflects nothing more the attributes of the One.