Sunset, waters, worldly goodness and God
The sun took just a few seconds to completely vanish on the Western horizon. I sit here on a balcony, facing the waters and the Western skies at 7:40pm on a beautiful Spring day.
Last night, I came here in Fort Myers at a distant relative’s house. We thought about watching the game between Bangladesh and South Africa. And Bangladesh was such a disappointment that we stopped watching around 2:00am. After that break, when I came to the room, where I was supposed to spend the night, I was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the full moon in the sky and her reflection on the waters. I was so sleepy that I could not really do anything more than just stare. Although, ideally I think I would have loved to just pray under the beautiful moonlit sky. Perhaps, I could do that tonight.
Today, we took a boat ride on a private boat that this family owns. I got lost in the waves and my own thoughts. I decided not to feel guilty for these little enjoyments of life. I know the a big part of the world is starving, but, it was just easier to breathe in the beauty of the waters, for now.
I am on the balcony, basking in the last remnants of daylight- whatever of the day that is still left. This house is on the water, where the backyard leads in to the bay, which leads into the Gulf of Mexico. It gets pretty close to the description of paradise.
And, here I am on someone else’s property. Never did I think I would actually personally be experiencing any of these. But I have been living a high life, vicariously, and I have been obnoxiously ungrateful to God and the people around me. But today, for some reason, I find myself humbled and awed.
I am listening to recitation by a Shaykh who played a major role when I was growing up in Denver. As his recitation penetrates my heart, a timely reminder comes in this verse:
“Allah favored some of you over others with wealth and properties- Do they deny the favors of Allah?” (Qur’an, 16:71)
May Allah forgive me every time I falter and fail to express my gratitude for blessing me with so many things, for the things that I directly own, and for those things that I vicariously enjoy. May Allah hold us not into account, for we will inevitably fail that test.
