Ramadan Diary, day 1 1/2

It's Sunday morning, my second day of fasting. alhamdulillah! My first day was very fulfilling. Keeping hydrated between sundown and sunrise is almost my favorite part. I'm certainly appreciating food a little more than normal, as it truly strikes me as the blessing that it is. I attended a Tajweed class at my local masjid between Asr and Maghrib, but the last hour was still the hardest. I put myself in a situation that involved a little too much pure waiting instead of doing something to keep occupied.

subhanallah, the community iftar was amazing. Coming into Ramadan I was excited, but I had this nagging apprehensive feeling about the struggle of the fast. As the brothers rolled in and the iftar rolled around I really got that holiday feeling. There was so much happiness going around. Smiles, joy, truly rejoicing in the simple wonders of life that are so easily taken for granted. There was a little mini khutbah during taraweed prayers about how man is a creature of habit and how ramadan is not just about recognizing this, and adjusting or altering habits for 30 days but also about learning and growing iman. Making large changes for the month of ramadan while being mindful and making changes (both large and small) for the long term.

alhamdulillah, Allah grant me the strength to persevere and grow this ramadan.