[Faith-Talk] Ramadan and other ramblings

[Ericka]

We have a lot in common Joy. Thanks for posting. Mustafa, I love chocolate cake too. 

Warm wishes to all,

Ericka Nelson

> On Dec 6, 2019, at 6:19 PM, BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> 
> 
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