Zahra

31: I should consider becoming a nun

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful

Indeed, this Quran guides humanity to that which is most upright and gives glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds, that for them is a great reward of everlasting delight in Paradise awaiting in the Hereafter (Q: 17 V: 9)

"Hey Nana, how's Grandpa by the way?", I asked my grandmother as I loaded the last plate into the dishwasher, "is he all alone at home?"

"Oh he's fine", Nana waved a hand dismissively from where she sat at the kitchen table, sipping on ginger tea with Mom, "more than fine even, I'm sure he's stoked to have the place all to himself. He probably has his book club members over right now and are playing Monopoly over donuts and beer"

Mom laughed, "Dad always indulged on sweets and junk food whenever Mom isn't home", she said, "I remember one time when you had to go on a work trip for a week, we spent the whole week eating pizza and burgers"

Nana's face turned grim, "he better not have Mr Elliot over, he spilled coffee on my favorite couch the last time, and forgot his dentures in our kitchen sink"

"You're forgetting the time Mrs Blossom broke a vase with her came because she thought Dad's remote control car was a rat", Mom added with a grin.

"Wow", I laughed and opened a cupboard, after grabbing a jar of strawberry jam and a bag of sliced bread from the counter, I walked over to join them at the table, "Grandpa's book club members sound fun"

"I better call him", Nana picked up her phone with a huff, "that man better not be skipping his medications"

Mom's forehead creased with a slight frown as she looked at her, "Mom, you know you can go back home right?", she told her, "I'm really fine now"

Nana didn't look convinced, "I'll stay until you get better"

I busied myself with spreading the jam on two slices of bread and listened silently.

"I am getting better", Mom insisted, "the group meetings are really helping, at first I hated the idea of sharing my grief with complete strangers, but now I'm glad I gave it a try. Spending time with people who have similar experiences has made a lot of things easier, I even made a few friends"

I beamed, happy for her, "that's great Mom"

"I know honey, and I'm happy for you", Nana answered as she dialed Grandpa's number, "I just want to be sure that-", she paused when Grandpa answered and raised her phone to her ear, "hello, Samuel, how's everything over- what's that sound?", Nana frowned.

"Oh boy", Mom raised her cup to her lips and took a sip, "what have you done Dad?"

"Did something break?", Nana continued, her tone laced with alarm, "it better not be my mixing bowls!", she marched out of the kitchen.

"He probably forgot to wear mittens again and dropped something", Mom mused, chuckling, "he's done that countless times before, she should go home before he breaks all her cutlery"

"What are the support group meetings like?", I asked her.

Mom smiled, "it's... interesting", she replied, "and fun sometimes, we don't always have to talk about deep things, sometimes we all just share how our day went, or something really good that happened to us. And when we share our sorrows we encourage and uplift each other, or just listen, it has really helped"

"Alhamdulillah", I said with gratitude. Mom was looking way better, her eyes didn't look so dull anymore, and she had a healthy glow about her.

"Besides", she continued, "I'm sure your dad wouldn't want me to keep being sad forever, I have to move forward, I still have my family- I have you and Zayd", she smiled at me tenderly, "and I'm forever grateful to Allah for that"