I suppose that raising kids of our own can help us become more generous both to our youthful selves and those we interacted with when we were young.

Faced with the perpetual bickering of a brother and sister so close in age, I really have to marvel at my parents who raised four of us. How on earth did they manage?

Living far away from extended family has both its advantages and drawbacks. When I hear tales of the interference of in-laws in the lives of many couples, I feel blessed that my in-laws live three thousand miles away and speak a different language.

It is such a blessing to have a good woman at your side. I don’t know what I’d do without mine. She counsels me when I’m feeling down, offering different perspectives and fresh insights. She is my companion on the path, forever calling me back to the One. Hers is contentment, reminding me of the unending stream of blessings bestowed on us from above. Hers the cloak of righteousness, calling me back to what is greater than us. Yes, that woman who twenty-one years ago chose to be my wife, to walk with me, through thick and thin, upon this path back towards our source. God bless the woman.

Last night I had a major meltdown. The trigger was relatively minor, but I blew my top. The morning-after is worse than a hangover. In truth, I’ve probably been carrying anxiety around with me for a year or more.

The tides of time. How the years pass us by. Some of those I knew at university have already seen their own children graduate. Some then were already married and had started a family when we were in our first year of studies; those children now all grown up, with children of their own. Some I once knew are now grandparents.