Sharing is a source of happiness

She's always daydreaming nowadays. Thinking about her hometown. My maid is scheduled to go back to her hometown in Jawa, Indonesia, in another two weeks time to fast and celebrate Eidul Fitri or Hari Raya Aidul Fitri with her family. It has been two years since she left them to find greener pasture in Malaysia, working as my maid.

She has mixed feeling about going home. Happy because she has never ben parted from them before. And it has been two years now. Tension because every family member is asking something from her, baju raya or new dress for Hari Raya, present from Malaysia, and the such. She told me that the burden is on her. She work hard to save money and now everybody want a portion of it. I was astonished with her statement. I told her she shouldn't feel that way. If she put herself in their place, she would feel the same way - eagerly waiting for a sister to come home and to receive gift from her. There is a part of our belongings that doesn't really belong to us. At least 2.5% of it that should be given away to the poor and needy people as zakat. I told her that part of happiness is sharing what we have with others. That is why, I told her, I don't mind if the sweeper that works around my house area asked to fill up her bottle with cool water from my water dispenser. I want to share the rezeki or blessing that Allah has given to me in any way that I can. Especially with people like her that earn a small income as a sweeper. She admit having a sense of wonder of how I can be so unselfish. She wanted to give some charity to the orphanage house in her hometown, to share with the unfortunate ones.

I hope I manage to change her mind setting. Instead of going home feeling burdened, hopefully she is eager to go home and spread happiness to her relatives by sharing. It is not the quantity that matters but the thought.

May Allah bless us all in this holy month of Ramadhan.