PeaceMoms Blog
We regularly post updates about PeaceMoms, upcoming events, and information we think you will find helpful. Please check back from time to time for the latest updates about PeaceMoms.Friday, August 21, 2009
Ramadan Begins
It was some time in July when Nadyne called me.
She said she was joining me in the Ramadan fast this year together, with another fellow Christian friend, Brian McLaren. For the last three years Nadyne has joined me in the fast. For those of you who are familiar with the work I do, you know that Nadyne Parr is my friend, as well as my writing and speaking partner.
I met Nadyne 12 years ago in Michigan during the time I was attending college studying for my Masters Degree. We became friends instantly. An Indian professor whom I met at the university, invited me to dinner. I remember feeling very anxious and apprehensive as I hiked a ride to the dinner. I recall feeling a ting of excitement. Rarely, if ever do professors invite their students to dinner in Sri Lanka. That's where I'm from. I met Nadyne at that dinner. A month later I went to live with her and her Mom; Barbara. I realized then that the chance meeting, over twelve years ago now, was indeed more than a mere coincidence.
Ours was a friendship based on curiosity, mutual respect and love. We embraced the differences in our individual cultures, religion, and backgrounds. I liken the pace of our interaction to a train gaining momentum as it embarks on a distant journey. We grew to accept and acknowledge our beings. We cuddled late at night, with Mom in her queen bed, covered in a white laced quilt - most nights, laughing away the time - watching Jay Leno . During a vacation, they took me to Florida. I made friends with their friends, and they, with mine. I cooked rice and curry with Channa while Mom (Barbara) introduced me to banana nut bread, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Today every trip to Michigan includes a little of my Sri-Lankan cooking, mixed with their American traditions. It's beautiful.
Barbara was a compassionate Christian. She noticed me. She took the time to see. She shared with me the love Jesus. When I was looking for a place to live, she opened her doors. She made her home, mine. I remember as a little girl reading stories about how Jesus didn't just tell His people what to do, he did it. He modeled what He wanted them to see. That's what Barbara did. I LOVE HER. From Barbara (I call her "Mom"), I learned powerful lessons about opening my home to people in need.
When I think about this year's fast, beginning today, and I learn that Brian McLaren (www.BrianMcLaren.net) - voted one of TIME Magazine's 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America - is partnering with us for the great cause of peace in the world, I can't believe the impact of his gesture. Will he be blamed and shamed for this? Will his message be heard and received in the spirit in which it is intended? Will it unite us or divide us? Will we as a human race recognize and rejoice in the knowledge that as my father would say “all rivers flow to the same sea.”?
The best work is team work. Here's what we're doing. Nadyne and I are partners in fasting (Fasting Friends). We check on each other every day. We follow up, at day's end. We talk about our various practices. We support and encourage each other in the fast. And so, Brian has found a partner in Eboo Patel. (Founder of the Interfaith Youth Core and author of Acts of Faith). And from what I understand, they will be sharing similar exchanges. Several other Christian leaders are joining us as well. Wow!
As a mother, one of my fervent prayers has always been for the unity of faiths and peace. It is for this purpose that I dedicate my life and passion. The question I ask with renewed fervor everyday is, “What can I do today for peace on earth? What is the legacy we are leaving for our children? Is it one of HOPE and LOVE? Or is it one of hate and despair?” My son Farajh, 10 years old now, sums it up well, when he observes “Mummy, if I collected $2.00 for every time you use the word "peace", I'd be a millionaire!”
If this Ramadan is the first step in the journey of a thousand miles, how profound would it be if we can engage others to join us? We can all as Gandhi would say, “keep walking...!"
Ramadan Mubarak!
Soraya.
She said she was joining me in the Ramadan fast this year together, with another fellow Christian friend, Brian McLaren. For the last three years Nadyne has joined me in the fast. For those of you who are familiar with the work I do, you know that Nadyne Parr is my friend, as well as my writing and speaking partner.
I met Nadyne 12 years ago in Michigan during the time I was attending college studying for my Masters Degree. We became friends instantly. An Indian professor whom I met at the university, invited me to dinner. I remember feeling very anxious and apprehensive as I hiked a ride to the dinner. I recall feeling a ting of excitement. Rarely, if ever do professors invite their students to dinner in Sri Lanka. That's where I'm from. I met Nadyne at that dinner. A month later I went to live with her and her Mom; Barbara. I realized then that the chance meeting, over twelve years ago now, was indeed more than a mere coincidence.
Ours was a friendship based on curiosity, mutual respect and love. We embraced the differences in our individual cultures, religion, and backgrounds. I liken the pace of our interaction to a train gaining momentum as it embarks on a distant journey. We grew to accept and acknowledge our beings. We cuddled late at night, with Mom in her queen bed, covered in a white laced quilt - most nights, laughing away the time - watching Jay Leno . During a vacation, they took me to Florida. I made friends with their friends, and they, with mine. I cooked rice and curry with Channa while Mom (Barbara) introduced me to banana nut bread, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Today every trip to Michigan includes a little of my Sri-Lankan cooking, mixed with their American traditions. It's beautiful.
Barbara was a compassionate Christian. She noticed me. She took the time to see. She shared with me the love Jesus. When I was looking for a place to live, she opened her doors. She made her home, mine. I remember as a little girl reading stories about how Jesus didn't just tell His people what to do, he did it. He modeled what He wanted them to see. That's what Barbara did. I LOVE HER. From Barbara (I call her "Mom"), I learned powerful lessons about opening my home to people in need.
When I think about this year's fast, beginning today, and I learn that Brian McLaren (www.BrianMcLaren.net) - voted one of TIME Magazine's 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America - is partnering with us for the great cause of peace in the world, I can't believe the impact of his gesture. Will he be blamed and shamed for this? Will his message be heard and received in the spirit in which it is intended? Will it unite us or divide us? Will we as a human race recognize and rejoice in the knowledge that as my father would say “all rivers flow to the same sea.”?
The best work is team work. Here's what we're doing. Nadyne and I are partners in fasting (Fasting Friends). We check on each other every day. We follow up, at day's end. We talk about our various practices. We support and encourage each other in the fast. And so, Brian has found a partner in Eboo Patel. (Founder of the Interfaith Youth Core and author of Acts of Faith). And from what I understand, they will be sharing similar exchanges. Several other Christian leaders are joining us as well. Wow!
As a mother, one of my fervent prayers has always been for the unity of faiths and peace. It is for this purpose that I dedicate my life and passion. The question I ask with renewed fervor everyday is, “What can I do today for peace on earth? What is the legacy we are leaving for our children? Is it one of HOPE and LOVE? Or is it one of hate and despair?” My son Farajh, 10 years old now, sums it up well, when he observes “Mummy, if I collected $2.00 for every time you use the word "peace", I'd be a millionaire!”
If this Ramadan is the first step in the journey of a thousand miles, how profound would it be if we can engage others to join us? We can all as Gandhi would say, “keep walking...!"
Ramadan Mubarak!
Soraya.
Labels: Ramadan
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