[Faith-Talk] Ramadan and other ramblings

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

Ramadan 2019 was from the evening of Sunday, May 5, to the evening of Monday, 
June 3.  At least that's what it was in the U.S.  In 2020 it will be from 
Thursday evening, April 23, to Saturday evening, May 23.  Many of us on this 
list may not know what Ramadan is, and what you do on Ramadan.  That might be 
knowledge that Mustafa or any other Moslem on this list could share with us. 
Although I am a Christian and not afraid to say so, I am fascinated and 
interested in other people's beliefs and why they came to believe what they do. 
I know that is not exactly what this list is for.  But nevertheless, it is one 
of my interests.

I can't help but think that underneath all that bluster and bombast beats the 
heart of a human being who has joys and sorrows like the rest of us, has 
financial struggles, deals with a wife and her family and his, has neighbors 
and friends, has experienced successes and failures, and just wants to be 
respected and accepted for who he is and what he is, just like we all do.  He 
used to be somebody's baby, somebody's hope for the next generation.  Whether 
or how that hope may have been conveyed to him is something only he knows, and 
he knows only his perception of the matter.  Show us that side of you and we 
will be more than happy to embrace it.  I think deep down we all want to be 
loved and accepted, we want to do a worthy work with our lives, and we want to 
search for and find our highest calling in life and follow that calling.  We 
probably want to leave this world a little better than we found it, if in our 
own small way.  I have a friend who is emotionally unstable, and one way to 
deal with her is to not deal with her when she is all het up, but let her calm 
down and realize that she has been hurt many times by others and that she has 
had to fight tooth and nail for everything she has gotten in life.  However she 
sees herself is her reality, whether it is true or not.  It's not my job to 
convince her otherwise; it's my job to meet her where she is and see if I can 
be a healing balm to the caged angry animal she can sometimes be.  She may not 
see God in any other way, because she is so busy pushing back against all the 
people and experiences that have hurt her in her life.  I don't expect her to 
ever heal, and there are times I must put her at arm's length for my own safety 
and emotional well-being.  I am not her fixer, and I am not her savior.  But I 
can be her friend and be a kind, steadying influence in her circle.  I have no 
power to predict what effect that will have.  I know that is what I am called 
to do, to be kind to the hurting.  There is a reason for it.  I don't have to 
know what it is.  All I know is that God loves her and He will ultimately take 
care of her.  However it ends, it will be ok.  I think there are a lot of 
hurting people in the world that only know to lash out when they are cornered. 
They give out what they think they have gotten all their lives.  That may never 
change, but that's no reason I can't be kind to her if the opportunity presents 
itself.  I don't know Mustafa's life story and I don't have to.  One thing I do 
know is that he and I both like chocolate cake.  That's a starting point.  Joy