Hey lovely souls 🥰
Hope having blessed season with beautiful day !
Our heat ( feels like 46) has knocked us down totally. Rains and thunderstorms have been reported from various parts of the country this week but our Sindh province and small city Khairpur are coping with dreadful dry weather. When it was raining all over the country we had strange dark brown clouds on the sky for one week laden with sand instead which showered throughout the week upon us 😏
I am not complaining just sharing the situation. Due to extreme heat people use air conditioning more which makes the wiring system overheated and transformers give up by exploding. We lost power for two days and when we got it back the voltage was down to support air conditioner. Hubby’s nephew who is electrician fixed the problem on fourth day. We got very less sleep meanwhile .
I tried to stay positive while my senses were trying to escape the reality during house chores. It’s challenging I mean really challenging 😂
What helps me to stay up meanwhile? My long term (13 years) meditation over holy book. Yes when nothing else works the repetition of some holy verses gives me strength because when I start reciting them I feel a strong wave of energy rising within me like light entering in the darkness and everything seems bearable surprisingly 🥹🙏
Today hubby brought home loads of files that he will be needing for the process of retirement paper work. He got two days to his retirement. He told that he will be given the farewell party on Saturday🥰
I often asked him how it feels to be retired? He smiles gently and says nothing special,everything is part of the life. He is always deep ,quiet and to the point 😊 I am grateful for I could find opportunity to spend life with him. I thankfully many times told him on different occasions that “ it was really nice to meet you “ 🥹🥰
We will be leaving for Islamabad in two weeks hopefully. Looking forward to place where we can exist without tooooo much sweat 😭😅.
Eldest son has booked an Airbnb apartment for us for two months! He is very caring son undoubtedly and we are really grateful to have him 🙏🥰
Best thing he did for me as mom is he has offered some kind of internship training to his younger brother. And therefore younger son can stay with us for whole two months 🥹 Otherwise he would have to return to Karachi to engage with his classmates in Final Year Project in university. I feel very happy,peaceful and thankful for providing us this time period with our younger son . I can’t help missing them despite all the understanding of life and everything ☹️
Thank you so much for being with me dear friends and thank you more for sweet encouraging words which enlighten my heart always 🥰
Thinking of you all with heart full of best wishes and prayers 🙏
Health, and happiness to you all and to all you love ❤️
Congratulations on your hubby's retirement, Baili. What an added bonus to be able to travel and spend time with your sons. Time goes so fast. One minute you are a baby, then you have babies, then they are grown. It is bittersweet, but it is good.
ReplyDeleteBig thanks for your sweet words dear Sandi ♥️
DeleteWe were looking forward to hubby’s retirement so we can move to Islamabad but not permanently of course as we have home here as well and hubby’s family lives here too so visiting and short stay will remain hopefully
But this time we are going to stay two months only because hubby has lot of paperwork and submission to do regarding retirement and pension which is possible when summer vacations are over.
Sandi I wanted my children to stay little when they were small and I would express my wish to hubby sometimes 😅 he would reply you should not say such thing because it’s all part of nature’s way to do things 🥹
I am a happy and grateful mom yet it’s undeniable that I miss my children so much 😊
Yes life is a bitter sweet drink 👍🙏
Your son is wonderful so much valuable help and love to the family
ReplyDeleteTears of joy and gratitude dear Christine 🙏♥️
DeleteI am sorry you have to endure the heat and reduced power. Let's hope Islamabad is cooler and you enjoy your time with your son. I love your husband's attitude to retirement -- so wise.
ReplyDeleteThanks dear about !
DeleteWe live in southern part time the Country which is famous for its horrible heat during summers. Temperatures rise above 50 centigrade sometimes
Islamabad is situated on a other hand in the foothills of Himalayan mountains so it has mild summers mostly with frequent rains
It is so good to read the contentment you are obviously feeling. Your husband will enjoy his retirement immensely. I speak from experience.
ReplyDeleteDear Emma 🥰
DeleteWe both literally waited for this because hubby too just like me liked the mild weather of Islamabad and my native area . We wanted to move there but his job was here so this is the time and we both are happy to have opportunity to move there by grace of God 🥹🙏
It was personally my lifetime dream actually 🥰 hope everything goes smoothly
I love what you wrote about when the mind doesn't want to follow the words on the page, repeating one out loud lets your mind rest and revive. Have a good time on your trip. You have wonderful sons.
ReplyDeleteDear Susan ♥️
DeleteYes, this is astonishing how focusing on one particular word or phrase (for me is always Allah or God ,Divine force holding everything together) can transform your mind slowly from challenges to Who is the Only One to help you deal with it🥹🙏♥️🥰
He has created everything in pair so it makes me believe that every challenge has its solution and I will find it definitely!
Thanks for good wishes my friend 🙏 these two months are possibly the last extended period of the time we are going to spend with our younger son . He has one year left in the university and he probably got job after that and won’t be able to get such break with us ,so we are grateful for that 🙏
Goodness, your temperatures are so hot ... I hope you find Islamabad a little cooler.
ReplyDeleteI wish your hubby a happy retirement.
Take care and stay as cool as you can.
All the best Jan
Trying to survive the terrible heat dear Jan 😭😅
DeleteThanks for your kind good wishes to hubby’s retirement 🥰
Islamabad is little better until July and August honestly because both months are extremely muggy 😔 so outing in July will be out of the question mostly
Blessings
Congratulations to your husband on his retirement! I hope he will enjoy his leisure and more relaxation! Glad to hear you and your younger son will spend the hot summer months in cooler Islamabad. That will be nice!
ReplyDeleteHeartfelt thanks for lovely words dear Debra 🥰
DeleteYes hopefully he will be reading lots of books or doing something he loves 🥰
I am very grateful to have my son for little lengthy period this year 🥹🙏
Retirement brings both blessings and challenges, as you and your husband figure out the new way of living.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree dear Kathy that surviving in limited financial resources can be difficult as inflation has broken all previous records here in last two years surprisingly ☹️
DeleteWe are thinking about it constantly even though eldest son offered help we truly don’t want to bother him much specially when we want him to get settled in life and get married so we can be peaceful! Living in such expensive city like London is not easy at all specially when you have family.
If we move Islamabad permanently I will have less to do and I hope this will allow me to learn some skill but this is bit far right now
Dear Baili,
ReplyDeleteThrough dust and heat your spirit glows,
Like desert rose where no rain flows.
Though power flickers, hearts stay strong,
With sacred verse, you carry on.
Your husband's grace in silent ways,
Marks gently all his working days.
Now rest awaits—retirement’s shore,
With love and peace and files galore.
How sweet the gift your sons have planned,
A time together, gently spanned.
May cooler winds in Islamabad
Bring ease and joy, and hearts unclad.
You shine, dear friend, with quiet might—
A beacon in the darkest night. 🌟
With warmth and prayers,
—Your poetic pal
John
Dear John 🥰🙏🥹
DeleteHow a “ simple Thanks “ can be enough for your such beautiful,uplifting and strengthening poem 🥹
As I started to read your poem and tears rushed down my eyes 🥹😊
We all the blog friends are truly genuinely happily indebted to you for blessing us with your enlightened words beaded in awesome poetry that touches the heart deeply 🥰
Thank you once again for incredible gift my wonderfully talented friend 🙏🤗
Best wishes and prayers 🙏
I wish you a long and happy retirement.
ReplyDeleteAmen dear John 😊🙏
DeleteIt is nice to hear from you!
Yes, the heat can take everything out of a person. Ohhh congratulations to your husband on his retirement. You have the best family. Your son making sure you are both happy and with your youngest son. He is a very special young man.
ReplyDeleteDear Nichole 🥰
DeleteMany thanks for your kind comment 🤗
So true that heat we are facing is really scary and draining out the energy from body to senses totally. It’s even making us forgetful 😂
Thanks to heartwarming words for our eldest son !!! As I often say he is miracle of our life 🥹🙏🥰
Congratulations on Hubbie's retirement.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Red 🥰
DeleteHope the farewell party for your husband goes well.
ReplyDeleteTell him not to stop.
Find something he likes to do.
Have a great weekend.
Thank you dear Pedro for wonderful words, yes it’s true that being busy slow aging and keep us healthy physically is mentally.
DeleteYes tomorrow he is having treatment from his colleagues and principal,last day in the office 😊
Amidst the challenges of the heat I see there are blessings in your life too. Hubby will soon retire, hubby's nephew fixed your electricity, you will soon leave for cooler location and a comfortable place to stay with your youngest son. All is well. I pray all goes smoothly with hubby's retirement process too!
ReplyDeleteAmeeen🙏 for your beautiful heartfelt words for hubby’s retirement process dear Joyful 🥰
DeleteI loved how awesomely you summarised the whole goodness and positivity mentioned in post 👍🤗 you inspire me my dear friend with your ability to focus on positive things 🥹🙏🥰♥️
Thank you for uplifting comment! It makes my day 🥰
Oh Baili, I can only imagine that horrible heat, and what strange weather - to rain down sand from the sky - how awful. I'm thankful your AC got fixed. Heat is so exhausting, and I don't know how you do it. Thankful that you are able to leave the heat and go to a nice apartment rented by your son - what a blessing that will be! I'm so thrilled to hear that for you! You keep such a good attitude despite such difficult circumstances. Praying for you dear friend! Many blessings to you :)
ReplyDeleteBaili, that is so hot and really don't know how you put up with it, but guess you do anyway.
ReplyDeleteI do hope your husband's retirement party is a lovely one and he deserves to have a good one. Your eldest son is so kind to look after his brother they way he does.
Take care.
Dear Marilyn 🥰
ReplyDeleteBig thanks for revisiting my blog and leaving such a lovely and beautiful comment 🙏🤗
I fully agree that surviving through such deadly heat is exhausting and painful yet we like other people try our best to keep healthy and stay active within restrictions that are necessary in such extreme conditions. I remember when I moved here after my marriage the second biggest issue after my mother in law was the heat that seemed to kill me at first. I am surprised how I became habitual to it eventually and I am grateful to God who gave me strength to face it.
We are blessed to have such caring and thoughtful son who despite we forbid him to do so booked Airbnb apartment for us . Such apartments are quite expensive compared to other places which we wanted to rent but eldest son didn’t want us to rent unfurnished apartment and then take everything from here to there as we did in past sometimes in order to save money. So he arranged a furnished apartment so we can travel with less luggage relaxingly .
As far as attitude,in my opinion everything God has given us as humans is his gift and blessing and not that we have right to have them. Therefore I pay thanks for all his kindness and gifts he has been giving me throughout my life 🥹🙏♥️
In return all I can do is to stay good to myself in to everyone around me 🥰
Your strength and grace through such challenging heat is truly inspiring. It’s beautiful how your meditation brings you light in the darkness such a powerful way to find peace. Wishing your husband a wonderful retirement celebration and a restful new chapter ahead. I’d love for you to visit my latest blog post when you have a moment.
ReplyDeleteDear Melody 🥰
DeleteBig thanks for encouraging words 🙏
I have felt grateful for having patience in my nature since the was little. Parents adored me for this trait . And best part it keeps me at ease from within!
But I really didn’t know I will be needing to exercise more of that while facing the heat of city I will live in after my marriage 😅
I am also thankful for God showed me way to sharpen my focus on good things via meditation! It transformed my life for better by the grace of God🙏
Thank you for best wishes for the hubby’s retirement my friend.today is his last day of work!
Your strength and grace through such challenging heat is truly inspiring. It’s beautiful how your meditation brings you light in the darkness—such a powerful way to find peace. Wishing your husband a wonderful retirement celebration and a restful new chapter ahead. I’d love for you to visit my latest blog post when you have a moment.
ReplyDeleteHi, Baili! I'm back. I'm so sorry I've been gone so long ~ again. I'm beginning to despair that I'll ever get on top of things. You are always in my thoughts, and I was saying a lot of prayers during the recent Pakistan/India tensions. I've spent the last hour catching up on your blog posts.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a poem a couple of weeks ago that really resonated with me, especially the words "Another day appeared with list of chores ... Lots to do and time is short." That feeling has been ruling my thoughts. Things are easing now, which is why I've resurfaced. 😂
I loved your other poem too. The image of your soul growing younger while your body grew older was beautiful. People say I was born with an old soul, but my soul actually feels younger and lighter now.
It was a joy to catch up with your family news. I was looking at all your lovely Eid-clean dishes and thinking of my dishes in boxes in the crawl space. When we unpack and restock our new kitchen, I am going to seriously do some Swedish Death Cleaning. 😂 Just save the best, like you.
I am always happy to see photos of Ahsan and Gabi. I'm glad Ahsan has been welcomed into Gabi's family. It must ease his loneliness of being so far from you and your family. Ahsan is a loving son. What better gift to give you than arranging for an apartment in Islamabad during a time when you feel like the heat pressing down on you like a balloon.
You asked about the beautiful bird of paradise flower and bluebells, some of my favorite flowers. Actually I love all flowers ~ 😂. If you use Google, you can type in "Google Image Search." If you click on the little camera icon, it will open up a box where you can upload a photo. Google will identify the flower or rock or building or whatever. It's usually pretty good. Don't ever feel badly about asking questions. You have no idea how many questions I've asked all the construction guys. 😂 Including this morning.
Osteoarthritis! Ugh! I have it too, and I have drunk little tea in my life ~ now coffee, that's another matter. 😂.
Over our lifetimes we are exposed to so many things that impact our health. Who knows if there is a single thing. I am taking prolia injections every six months and working out in the gym with weights to impact my bones. I find stretching really important too. You don't need a gym or weights though. There are a lot of exercises that you can do at home. https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/oa-exercises Of course you should follow your doctor's instructions.
I love the beautiful kingfisher art that Debra sent you. Debra is a wonderful person, such a good friend! Isn't it amazing how we three are connect and we live so far from each other.
"The Narrows" by Michael Connlley loos really interesting. It cracks me up that his main character is Hieronymus Bosch. Bosch, the real one, has to be one of the most bizarre painters ever, and his paintings are often disturbing. Seeing his "The Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych" in the Prado in Madrid was an amazing experience.
I hope that your middle son has fully recovered from his motorcycle accident ~ so scary! Motorcycles scare me. I think you are brave to ride on one. And I'm glad that thought the kindness of some strangers that your youngest son recovered his phone. I've been thinking of Ali as his retirement approaches. It's a new and exciting phase in life. I hope it brings him much joy. As always, I keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers, even when I'm overwhelmed and absent from blogging. Take care, my dear friend. I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to respond to you in one place. ❤️🍀❤️
Precious friend Louise 🥰♥️
DeleteHow happy I feel to see you back 🙏🤗
Heartfelt thanks for giving my simple posts your precious time my friend and then writing such detailed comments always 🥰
It makes my day for long 🥹🤗
Also thank you so much for keeping me in mind dear Louise ♥️ this can sound strange or unbelievable but since many years you and my other blog friends hardly leave my mind 🤗 no matter how many days I can’t connect or how much busy I remain everyone is in my mind all the time just like family members including their thoughts and matters they have shared until now 😊 this connection is my strength and pride ♥️
Thank you everyone for making me part of your blog world 🙏🥰
I am glad you liked my poem 😊 yes business of life occupy our time in mind most of the day and sometimes we feel running behind the hands of clock madly . This is tough yet beautiful as sign of life 🤗
Thank goodness renovation of your house is about to end in two weeks hopefully 🥹🤗 I would love to see how you rearrange your fresh cabinets of the kitchen.it is refreshing to have renovations time to time .it boosts our positive energy to deal with household I believe 😊
Thank you for sharing about the method of finding out about some image via google camera icon 🙏 I will keep this in mind hopefully though heat has shaken my brain so hard these days 😂
This is nice how you keeping up with your osteoarthritis dear Louise. Sue has shared an exercise video few months ago and I am following it strictly. First I did the exercise daily but now I do it four days in a week. I am taking no medication since March nor any injection . Honestly right now I don’t know what else to do. I will restart the stretching soon.
How impressive you know everything almost 😊🤗🥰
I just checked and found that Harry Bosch character was inspired by Duch painter Hieronymus Bosch and yes his art was beyond my approach at plain sight 😂
I am desperate to get new books once arriving in Islamabad 🤗
Yes we too are peaceful that he has found someone he loves and her family is as amazingly warm as Gabi herself 🥹🥰♥️
May God keep them together always 🥹🙏
Oh yes by the great Grace of kindest God our younger son has been recovered completely!!! His foot specially is totally normal now thankfully 🙏
Thanks to good wishes to hubby dear friend ♥️ he is having farewell from his colleagues today. Life will be different and for the better hopefully 🙏
Responding you was truly a joy dear Louise 🥰♥️
I am going to get up for lunch making.then will back to blogging in spare time hopefully ♥️♥️♥️♥️☘️🌹🌸🌺💐🌼🌝
So many changes coming! & the heat prevails. [we did have some muddy storms as of late. Strange weather..especially when there is dirt in the rain.] Congrats to you both on this journey and a new chapter awaits. I hope you two find lots of sweet memories [which would never be the case in my family-not that we bicker all the time, but confused perhaps]. I'm so glad you have such an amazing son who is a role model for his brother, too.
ReplyDeleteYou truly are patience. I don't know if I'm so in this hurried world. Wishing much happiness ahead. And hopefully you can relax with your chores too. All the best to your meditations. [speaking of which a friend of mine is presenting a 3 week course for 60 bucks-that's a little steep for me.] All the best to a blessed June 💙💙💙💙🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸💕💕💕💕
Heartfelt thanks dear Ellie for your kind sweet words 🥰♥️
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that I couldn’t visit you this week 🙏
I will asap hopefully!
Life is crawling through the suffocating tunnel heat these days 😂 thanks to the strength I have gained from long term meditation which is keeping me up in the senses 🙏
Yes sandstorms makes it harder for us for two months 🙃
We too hope to have blissful time in Islamabad 🙏
Bickering among family members,youngsters particularly seems common these days. My both younger sons weren’t exception .though I see slight change in younger one since he has moved out of the house for studies .
This is true that no matter how much we bicker as family,end of the day we love each other and we should remember it always 🤗
Thank you dear friend for all your good wishes,it’s really appreciated from the bottom of my heart 🙏🥹♥️