Hi!
Like I already said, I'm back in Alabama, and back to normal life. I left New York on July 3rd, which was super sad (but rode a plane for the first time, so that was super exciting! also, classic southern girl, never been on a plane. haha!). I seriously had the most amazing summer of my life, and cannot wait to go back next summer with Singers (!!) and again when I graduate. :-)
But back in the heart of dixie I spent the rest of my summer with my boyfriend :) and my best friends. I went to Maywood (a Christian camp I've gone to for the past 17 years) and had another incredible year there. Then I came home for about 4 days lol and then headed to the beach with my favorite girls. Thennnn I came back to the plains!!
Okay, so enough boring journal-ing. Auburn is nowhere near as exciting as New York (although I love them equally), so I will stop telling about my every activity. Instead I'll talk about Ramadan fast-a-thon!
Last week my friend Shainur (who is totally awesome) asked me if I would be interested in participating in Ramadan fast-a-thon. It's an event the Auburn Muslim Association puts on each year, and it raises money for the East Alabama Food Bank. Basically, you agree to participate for the day (that means abstaining from any food or drink, along with impure thoughts and actions and sexual activity) and someone sponsors you, then that money goes to the food bank. I agreed to participate because it seemed like a novel way to support a good cause, plus it didn't involve my buying a t-shirt. So, win.
Except it was AWFUL. I mean, half way through the day I was wondering why on earth I had agreed to this. I would close my eyes and see chocolate pies and Pringles. I was counting the seconds until 6 o'clock when I would go to the event that the AMA was hosting and get the free food. My friend Andie and I went and discovered that there were some speakers before we could get the food, which wasn't ideal seeing as we were both ready to eat our own arms.
Then the woman from the food bank started talking. And she talked about how people that you would never expect to be going without food often come to the food bank for help. She talked about how much people depend on those sources. And how important it was that we continued t support the food bank, and other endeavors that help others. I was starting to feel a little ashamed, because while I was complaining about not being able to eat during the day,my refrigerator was full of food that I eat probably too much of, and my checking account had my grocery money just waiting for me to use.
The keynote speaker was next, and although I missed the finer details of what he said because the other two women at our table apparently never learned that it's rude to talk straight through a speech in normal speaking tones, I caught the gist. He talked about how Ramadan isn't just about not eating. It's about controlling your impulses and being thankful for what you have. It's about the fact that God would never ask us to do anything that we physically couldn't do, and how blessed we are to have a God who provides for us in every way. And the fast-a-thon was about helping the people around you, just as God helps us.
Just as a disclaimer, I don't believe that we are called by God to fast. And I wholeheartedly believe that if you personally believe that, it needs to be an act between you and God, not something to boast about. Nor am I Muslim. But today did remind me how blessed I am and how thankful and humbled I need to be to serve an awesome God that cares for me.
And if you're not a Christian, I sincerely hope that you consider the blessings that you do have, and how little God asks in return from us. If nothing else, as Americans (I think most of the people who read me are American) I think we should all remember the call to action that one of our landmarks... "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Shend these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
So, yeah. That's my spill. I don't know if this made any sense, but if you get nothing else from this... be thankful for everything we are blessed with. Give back to others; it's one of the best ways to give back to the ultimate Giver. Ohh and don't be afraid to discover new cultures.
With love
<3
Shelli
PS: the title is from Hair. :-)
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