Whisperings Under The Maple Tree

  HISTORY AND TIME (August 30, 2022)   Today’s dispensation is bent on changing history and making a fool of today’s generations and that of the future. One can never re-write history no matter how one tries. History is over like it or not, accept it or deny it. You can only wish that people will believe your own narrative of the past, but you cannot change the facts of the past.   Just because you did not experience it yourself nor believe it as it is, the facts of yesterday have been written and as it is written stays for generations to come. A mature and responsible citizen of truth will respect, accept, analyze, and be critical of the past; but most of all learn from the lessons it offered. For only when we learn the lessons of the past are we able to live a more meaningful today so we can pass on to the next generation a more promising tomorrow.   We have our history. The present is writing its own. The future is yet to be written. We need to remember though that everyth

  Sabr. Patience. (May 31, 2023) Sabr. Sabr. Sabr. This has become my mantra lately. Why? Because I realized how impatient I was or I am. I needed to remind myself every minute that I need to be patient because not everything happens at a time that I wanted them to happen, and not everyone comprehends things fast enough the way I want them to. What is Sabr?   Allow me to quote Wikipedia article on this. Sabr - Wikipedia Sabr (Arabic: صَبْرٌ, romanized: ṣabr) (literally 'endurance' or more accurately 'perseverance' and 'persistence'[1]) is one of the two parts of faith (the other being shukr) in Islam.[2] It teaches to remain spiritually steadfast and to keep doing good actions in the personal and collective domain, specifically when facing opposition or encountering problems, setbacks, or unexpected and unwanted results. It is patience in the face of all unexpected and unwanted outcomes.   Etymology Arabic lexicographers suggest [citation needed]

  “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)   As morning breaks, we wake up and immediately grab our cellphone and check for messages or posts. It’s like the night was such an unwelcome break in our communication with our “world” – whoever and/or whatever that would be. Anything worrying us that we needed to know asap what happened during the time of our sleep? What is it that worries us? Who is it that concerns us? Is someone after us? Are there any threats to our life? It just baffles me how we treat our cellphones as the “all and be all” of our life. Technology has taken over our lives, like it or not. Here I am reminded of the book “Future Shock” of which the author “Alvin Toffler argued that society is undergoing an enormous structural change, a revolution from an industrial society to a ‘super-industrial society’. This change overwhelms people. He argues that the accelerated rate of technological and social change leaves people disconnected and suffering fr

    When I went to a store in Toronto selling Muslim merchandise, I saw this book displayed on the window. I was interested and I inquired about the cost. The store owner wonderfully just gave it to me along with a small book of the Quran and an Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam. I am a Catholic who has a Muslim friend. In my desire to better know and understand my friend’s Muslim identity, I am refreshing my academic knowledge of Islam (which I took as a semester’s course in my seminary-college for a Bachelor of Arts degree with major in Religious Studies, minor in Sociology and Philosophy. May God/Allah bless the store owner and his family for his generosity. What intrigued me with the book at the onset was the title itself. It’s a conversation, so to speak, about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (the 3 great religions). I must admit that I have not finished reading it yet, but the initial chapters have made me so very thankful to God that He manifested Himself to people

  Self-love is very basic. Please do not mistake it for selfishness or self-centeredness. Self-love is a process that starts with KNOWLEDGE of your true self including all your idiosyncrasies. It does not happen in a click of a finger. And it could be painful too. Finding out your true self could be very disturbing but liberating.  When you get to know yourself, ACCEPTANCE is next. Moments of denial may happen, and it is natural. The need to accept who you are is a very important step towards self-love.  When you can accept your true self, CELEBRATE the discovery. It means be happy that you did and rejoice.  Then be ready to SHARE. Sharing your true self with others is a sign of readiness to enter into a relationship, but not yet. It simply means you are now ready to open your true self to another person without fear and inhibitions. Also, when you are ready to share, you must also be ready to get hurt. Because not everyone you share your true self with will accept your gift of self. T