Sabr and Shukr

As-salaam-u-alaikum one and all,

Hope you are well and warm.......in pretoria, sa it has been really really icy cold over the past few days and sometimes it becomes impossible to move away from the heater...LOL. Today I'd like to share with you another story in my simple life. For the past 1 and 1/2 half I have been a housewife and mother. Previously to that I worked, like most mothers. Beside organisational politics and the monotonous routine, I resigned from a job of six years with the support of my husband due to not being entirely happy. When I initially resigned we knew that things would not be easy, we were going to loose an entire salary. I was willing to live on bread and butter and have my son taken out of an Islamic school and put into a government school. I did say to my husband I will try my best to do something from home in order to assist with the financial burden. But like it goes, words come easier than actions. I did do a few odd jobs of cooking, cvs, catering and doing assignments to earn an income but it went very slow. I was studying life coaching at the time and thought once I completed, maybe that will help bring in an income. Besides trying to earn an income, I was really happy at home.........I remember my  friends always asking "dont you get bored"?....Lol. I sometimes don't even have enough time in the day to do all that I want to. I was at peace with myself, I started praying my namaaz's that I would usually miss out on, I started praying more of the Quraan, I even lost weight, my son was doing better at school and my husband was happy coming home to a home cooked meal everyday. Please do not misunderstand this . I am not encouraging all working women to stay at home but just sharing with you how Allah never left us. As each month passed my husband never failed at putting food on the table, till now I am grateful to Allah, I am short of nothing. I have a roof over my head, food everynight, my health and my family. When I worked I constantly looked for ways to use my money to make us happy, we always thought more of this and that will make us happy but in the process I was loosing what was so precious to me; my life as a muslimah, my time with my son, being a wife. From living on a salary check, I began to live on Sabr and Shukr and I have not looked back. I still am looking to do something in order to gain identity for myself but I learned a "HUGE" lesson money doesn't buy you or your famil y happiness. Now I truly understand when All ah, says "Trust in me, I am sufficient for you."  We live our lives in so much of stress and  anxiety yet we will only receive what is due to us by our Creator, Allah Taala Azza Wa Jal. May Allah stand by us all in our times of need, Inshallah, Ameen