Keeping my family intact

It has been a long time since it feel so lonely as now. My husband is working oversea. For two months at least. The third time going abroad and the first first time to a far away land. The land that has four seasons and a famous tower that was supposed to be torn down in 1909 after its 20 years permit expired.

My duty is to take care of the house and family for him. This evening I took my kids along to send my second son back to his apartment. The apartment is provided freely for the staff of the animation company. He is working there while waiting for his SPM examination results; SPM is comparative to SAT in USA. We had our dinner at a restaurant nearby. Eating out is an important family gathering even though it is not done frequently. It is a time where we exchange story, joke, laughter, feeling, etc. The most important thing is it is an activity that keep us together physically and thus spiritually. Doing things together has always been the family tradition. When the kids were small, it was a natural sight to eat out together. But now when the kids are taller than us, going out together at almost midnight to have a light meal is something that draws attention to us. A family with grown up kids that goes out together at midnight is something that you don't often see. When kids grow up they tend to drift away from the parents. Allah have been most kind to me. I have a close knit family.

On the way home, my third son played a song from a nasyid (islamic song) CD. "Mom, his song is specially for you. It is your story". I listen carefully to the lyrics. When the song was over, he explained that it was about how a wife patiently waiting for her husband to come home, keeping herself faithful and maintaining her virtues. The husband prayed that the wife will be given jannah or heaven. "Thank you son for dedicating this song to me". So my kids noticed and cared. While handling the steering, I said my thanks to Allah. I'm indeed blessed with a good family.

May Allah bless us all. Ameen.