All this while

Assalammualaikum, and hello everyone...,

My life has been very hectic for the past 9 months. A lot has changed and I hope I have changed for the better too. Mysha is 9 months old now and I had looked after her all this while except when I was away for one and a half months to perform the haj.

Haj was more challenging due to the huge number of pilgrims. One really has to be very patient when performing the ibadah. Doing umrah during the haj months was equally challenging. Thousands circling the Kaabah at any period of time. My husband and I managed to circle the Kaabah at the ground floor only twice. The rest, we either do it on the second floor or the top floor. The distance is longer but I really liked it since I can recite more doas.

The ibadah required more physical strength and being a senior citizen, I tried not to overdo certain ibadah, lest I tire myself easily. I thought by walking 5 km everyday before going to Mecca, I will be okay..It was the weather that my body could not take it. The days were hot ( around 40 degree celsius) and the nights were cold. Worse when it was windy. I suffered from cough..who didn't? But the cough made me tired very easily....

I am glad that I managed to do my Haj all by myself. I did the melontar, tawaf and sai' without the help of others, Alhamdulillah..

No matter how difficult it seemed to be at that time, my husband and I have no qualms of going again if Allah permits. I missed the ibadah, the crowd, the mosque, the ambience..I missed the tranquility of praying in the Masjidil Haram and Masjid Nabawi..I missed looking at the Kaabah...

I hope I get the chance to go again in the near future..and today, when I spoke with my sister over the phone..she and her husband had registered for the haj..Her purported time is 2044..

She will be 85 years old at that time..Luckily she has done her haj before..