My Journal: What I Am (Should Be) Thankful For

I thought I would mix it up a bit for this week's writing post with something from my journal. I made it a goal to journal every day this year and I thought I would share some of my personal writings once in a while.

Some days, I realized that there are small blessings that I never considered until I took the time to really think about it. I wrote these down to remind myself that there is always, always, always, something to be thankful for! Of course this list is very brief and there is much, much more that I could add, but the ones I am going to share I am sincerely grateful for (or should be...) I am not doing this just for the typical things. This is to help me learn to be more grateful iA and maybe help someone else too.

Also, I am not posting this today just because today is Thanksgiving. I know I usually post on Sundays, but I really didn't have time that day thanks to hw... The semester is almost over (only 12 more days!!!) so this is crunch time for many students in uni./ college, not just myself. I thought I would still post today rather than skip a week because it is better late than never! Now on to the actual list of what I am/ should be thankful for.

Alhamdulillah (all praise is to Allah) for...

1. Islam (will explain exactly what in a future post iA)

2. being born as a Muslim. Hearing the obstacles (ex. parents, friends, society, etc.) reverts sometimes go through should make any Muslim born into Islam appreciate that we have it easy in some ways. But then again, sometimes I think being a revert helps one appreciate Islam more since they are usually more committed to Islam. I wonder...
3. my family, especially my Mom
4. variety of food and drinks
5. nice clothes
6. roof over my head
7. being alive for 20 years +

8. chance at a college education

9. money

10. laptop = internet (or else I'd be bored!!!)

11. soft warm bed

12. cold and hot water for drinking and shower (in order)

13. living in America and not BD....

14. electricity

15. heating for the cold months...

16. cars and not having to walk far

17. proper indoor toilets and bathrooms

18. books for entertainment

19. email and phone for communication

20. beautiful, breathtaking nature

21. my knowledge thus far

22. no serious hardships like others

23. my teeth

24. no allergies

25. rain

26. people like Yasmin Mogahed

27. fresh, cool, natural air

28. air conditioner

29. the few compliments I get on my hair, petite body, etc.

30. few, but good friends
31. single at my age
32. being fluent in English (universal language)

To conclude this post, here is a hadith (report of the deeds and sayings of Muhammad (SAW) that I try to keep in mind that has to do with the subject of being grateful. Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: "Look at those who stand at a lower level than you [with regards to worldly possessions] instead of looking at those who stand at a higher level than you, for this would make the favors (gifted to you by Allah) insignificant (in your eyes)" (Book 42, Hadith 7070).

My Top 10: Favorite Children's Books/ Authors

Here is a short list of my favorite books/ authors that I enjoyed reading as a child (and a little older too ;) which I think are suited for children under 12, both girls and boys. I think the books below are not too difficult to read, but still interesting. Let me know in the comments what you think of the books I chose and also books you loved as a child (or older ;) and recommend to a young audience.
 
1. Dr. Seuss (for anyone who loves cute short stories with rhyme)
2. Shel Silverstein (for poetry fans, again those who enjoy rhyme like me ;)
3. Roald Dahl (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, George's Marvelous Medicine, etc.) 
4. The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (for fantasy readers)
5. Warriors by Erin Hunter (for fans of cats, action, and adventure)
6. Dolphin Diaries by Ben M. Baglio (for those who like sea life mixed with adventure)
7. Monsters by Dian Curtis Regan (cute stories with a different story line)
8. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George (great intro. series to "princess fairy tales")
9. Wonder by R.J. Palacio (love!)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer (Illustrator) (my review)  

A-Z Poetry by Me: E

Elegy to Childhood

Childhood: years of innocence, adventure, play,
No responsibilities, free time galore, and cheerful every day.

Sunny days riding bikes with friends and family picnics at the park,

Imagination running wild, making shadow puppets in the dark.

Running wild outside flying kites and playing tag,

Looking forward to school in your new outfit and bookbag.

No dreaded days at school of bullying and thoughts of suicide,

No pressure of where you want to be in 15+ years as the days pass by.

The days pass by watching PBSKids, a child of seven by Generation O,

But times have changed and so has PBSKids Go!

Times have changed you realize one day,

And childhood isn't looked at in the same way.

Children are growing up and learning much faster,

Gone are the many innocent days of fun and laughter.

The Zion Deception by Dr. Laurence B. Brown 4/5

 

I haven't done a good old fashioned single book review in a long time, so I think it is finally about time I did one again. I was very excited when I found out Dr. Brown came out with his 3rd work of fiction, The Zion Deception, so I grabbed it in my summer haul. I plan to review his other two novels that I read and loved, but for now, here is a review of his most recent published book.

The back of The Zion Deception reads: "David Cohen’s wife didn’t deserve to die. Sarah Weizmann shouldn’t blame herself for Leah’s murder. But the shocking crime served a militant Zionist group’s strategic purpose. When David and Sarah team up to find Leah’s killer, they are drawn into a maze of murder and intrigue designed to conceal the ugly history of Zionism. Following a path through Poland’s WWII death camps, they are forced to fight for their lives against both a psychopathic Nazi war criminal and Israel’s Mossad. When they discover the dark secret that links their two antagonists, they realize something is bound to die – themselves, the horrifying truth, or all together. The Zion Deception is a fully-annotated and meticulously researched work that expresses pro-Jewish, anti-Zionist views popular among Jewish revisionist historians. Although controversial, it challenges what readers know about anti-Semitism, Zionism, and Israel. With a keen sense of closure and awareness of the interconnectedness behind history’s failings, author Dr. Laurence B. Brown exposes popularized fallacies, and reveals the threat Zionism poses not only to Jews, but to the world as a whole."

The Zion Deception is a real eye opener novel. It is surprising, sad, detailed, and relevant to the world today. Some parts are gruesome and action packed, typical "Brown" fiction. I am not complaining by any means. The action and adventure in Dr. LBB's books made me a fan of his in the first place after reading his previous novels. His book descriptions really catch my attention and gives me high expectations.

The Zion Deception includes some history which I think was interesting, but confusing at times with all the details. I think rereading this book will help me better digest the material. As I said, this book brings in current events, so for someone like myself who really isn't into the news and what is happening around the world (I know this isn't good, but the news is depressing...) the book was interesting and "enlightened" me about the situation between Palestine/ Israel and Zionism in general. Yes, this book is a work of fiction, but there are facts weaved within the story as Brown mentions at the end.

From The Zion Deception, readers will get yet another example of how war changes people through Sarah's experience (pg. 24-25). And I'm sure this wouldn't be the first time either for readers to hear that with joining the army, comes brainwashing. As Sarah explained to her friend, "killing an American was murder, but the army taught us the Iraqis weren't human. In the American soldier's eyes, they were animals. It's the same old story...the Germans were Krauts, the Japanese were Nips, the Chinese, Chinks... the Viet Cong were gooks. In every conflict, the military think tanks dehumanize the enemy, to make it physiologically easier for the soldiers in the field to kill them. After the war, we meet them, maybe managing the corner convenience store, and realize they're just as human as we are" (53). Sounds familiar?

Brown uses a lot of abbreviations like MP, POW, APC, etc. and while some of them can be easily figured out, I wish Brown spelled them out at least once so we wouldn't have to guess at their meanings. There are some disturbing bits in The Zion Deception such as the details in being spied on page 139. The gruesome history of Zionism and the Zionist Jews contribution to the Holocaust stands out the most in the book though. For those people who don't know what Zionism is, it is the "political movement to establish a Jewish nation-state" (Foreword). In chapter 20 in which Sarah tours the concentration camps, we learn about Josef Mengele. Mengele would perform "experiments" usually on twins, "dissecting them side by side, alive, without anesthesia... even went as far as to remove limbs and stitch siblings together" (161). By the middle of the book (pages 196-197), readers will be in shock when they read about the Transfer Agreement.

Readers will also be surprised and in suspense at almost every turn of the page. Closer to the end of The Zion Deception, we learn something shocking. I won't ruin it here, but let me just say that learning the origin of the majority of Jews makes Brown's book worth reading. Besides all the interesting, surprising, detailed facts mixed in with a good storyline, there are some funny bits as well as a lot of action. I could go on about this book (I wrote down a ton of notes), but will spoil the story no more.

Overall, I gave this book ****/***** I would consider The Zion Deception to be a realistic historical crime fiction novel (is that even possible???). Anyone into that sort of stuff would really enjoy this book. If you can digest some of the material that I have mentioned and want to learn more about this subject, I also highly recommend The Zion Deception to you. If you would like to purchase this book, go to http://ziondeception.com/