KhadijaTeri

Yesterday Jenna and I went to get our haircut. We hadn't had cuts since before Hurricane Irma - we had been too busy with my mom's illness, going to the hospital and all that followed after she passed. Getting our haircut was wonderful therapy - we left feeling relaxed and good about ourselves.  
On the way home we made an unplanned stop at a consignment store that we go to from time to time. I don't know why I felt the need to stop there. When we went into the store I went directly to where they display the household things and spotted a beach/bath towel. I picked it up and saw that it was brand new. I didn't need one, but for some reason I felt compelled to buy it. I said to Jenna, "Let's go", but she wanted to look around. I wandered around the shop, but all I wanted was the towel. It was the weirdest feeling - I had to get that towel.
When we got home I threw the towel in the laundry hamper. I'd wash it later I told myself. I went to work and whi…

My mother passed away a week ago after nearly a month in the hospital and a week in a nursing home. She passed on the day of her wedding anniversary - my parents would have been married 58 years. I was blessed to be able to spend the last two years caring for my mother - so many wonderful memories to cherish. 
A memorial service will be held for my mother, Helen Godette Martin, on November 20th, 2017 at 11am at Blessed Sacrament Church in Seminole, Florida. Following the church service, a ceremony will be held at Bay Pines Memorial Cemetery where she will be interred with my father, George William Martin.

It's been a busy week! First there was preparing for the storm, which included stocking up on water and food and making sure the hurricane kit had everything in it. As the storm approached Florida I made the decision to take my mother to a special needs shelter as she is on oxygen and has medical equipment that needs electricity - plus the shelters are built to withstand category 5 storms.
In the end, my sister insisted that mom go to her house. At first I argued with her about it, but then after discussing it with my son we decided to let my sister take care of my mom during the storm. Actually, we were kind of surprised she offered, especially since we could count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times she's shown up in the past year. So off mom went on an adventure with my sister. 
I continued to sort out the hurricane supplies, while Adam and Jenna cleared the yard of all the yard furniture, planters, barbecue grills, garbage cans - anything that would blow around an…

Wishing a safe and peaceful Eid to all who celebrate.  May Allah accept your fast and shower you with blessings. 

I've been pretty busy the last few weeks. I'll try to fill in all the blanks with some of the pictures I took along the way. First I'll start by sharing my quick trip to the lovely Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. I was there last June and found myself back there again for a short work related trip.
It took a while to get to Guadeloupe as there are no direct flights from where I live, so I spent a few hours in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico might become the 51st state soon, at the moment it's a US territory. My cell phone worked there and they use dollars. My hamburger and French fries in the airport cost $25!

Last year I stayed in an all inclusive resort... this time I stayed in a studio apartment. If I have to go back again for another short stay I will go back to the resort simply because it had a restaurant and I didn't have to go anywhere to hunt down a place to eat. But there were some bonuses to my accommodation. My little apartment had a view of a small cove wit…

I've always said that naming my children was harder than giving birth to them. Their names were important - more than likely they would have them all of their lives. It was hard to decide what they should be called. My name, or at least what I am called, has evolved over time. 

Officially, my name is Therese Martin, when I married my husband I decided that in traditional Muslim fashion I would keep my surname because after all, I only married him, he doesn't own me. Keeping my name meant keeping my identity. Since I was a child my family and friends always called me Teri or sometimes Teri-Anne. Therese was always kept for official things and that turned out to be quite useful. For example, if anyone ever telephoned asking for Therese, I immediately knew it wasn't friend or family and I would reply "Can I take a message?'  However, after I moved to Libya things changed and I became known as Khadija.
The name Khadija needs a bit more explanation. When I became Muslim…