Selamat Hari Raya Aidhil-Fitri

Assalamualaikum and hi,

Hari raya is just around the corner. I was saying to my husband just the other day that most of the hari raya songs are very sad. I can only think of three songs which promotes joy and happiness in hari raya. First is the one sung by Allahyarhamah Saloma, the second one is sung by Allahyarham Sudirman (Balik kampung) and the third by Siti Nurhaliza (Nazam lebaran). It seems to me that you are supposed to feel sad on hari raya. So, that means, people who are in the same boat as me should feel double sad on this joyous occasion..eh?

In most literature I've read about battling cancer is that you have to be mentally strong. You have to show cancer who is the BOSS. You have to fight, sacrifice and at the same time have a lot of faith in the almighty. You also have to do a lot of soul searching to motivate yourself and at the same time find somewhere in your heart to accept what has been planned for you. You can't get anywhere near that by feeling sad all the time, brooding with self-pity and always asking "why me?".

This Aidhil-Fitri is going to be tough for me. I can't savour the various mouth watering ketupat and rendang, cakes and biscuits, lemang and other hari raya goodies. Socialising is not going to be easy either because I keep on drooling whenever I am upright. To stop the drooling, I have to sit back in a reclining position. Or else I have to always cover my mouth with tissue or small towel.

Anyway, I am going to have a happy hari raya, whatever it takes. Not being able to enjoy food does not mean that I can't be happy. There are so many things in life other than food that can cheer you up. All you have to do is to open your eyes to new horizons. Travelling, for instance...hmm how does that sound? Meeting old friends??

So, I am taking this opportunity to wish all my muslim brothers and sisters Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir dan Batin. May your hari raya be the happiest day.

May Allah bless us all.

Bye, for now.

Sharifah
"Life is too short, but intend to grow old gracefully..."