Ramadan day 7

In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful.

Today was an easy fasting day...I suppose it helps that I didn't wake up until 1:00 in the afternoon! I don't think I've ever slept that late in my life! You see, my husband proposed this idea that we stay awake until dawn and then sleep until early afternoon. Work all afternoon up through sunset. I thought it was a crazy idea for many reasons. 1-we have children.... and those children start school soon... 2-it felt like cheating in a sense. Ok...so, point #1. Our children (2 boys; 5 and 2 years old). We live in Los Angeles and are visiting family in MI for the beginning of Ramadan. They always stay awake "late" for EST. Keeping a PST while in EST zone has been more in line with what they like. That is a 3 hour difference (PST is 3 hours behind EST). So...the kids are loving that we aren't trying to put them to sleep too early. But...that is all about to change. Our schedule for the first 7 days of Ramadan has gone something like this.... eat dinner from 8:30-11:00 p.m. Play with kids, relax and digest. Drink some tea. Work. Read and pray. eat again from 4:30 am-5:30 a.m. then pray, and go to sleep by 6:30 a.m . (Kids have been sleeping around 3 EST which is midnight PST). Wake between 11:30-1 p.m. work until 7 p.m. Crazy isn't it! Well...it's been nice actually. Very nice. But, we now have to start cycling our kids to sleeping earlier to wake earlier in prep for school. This will all begin tomorrow (btw...it's 1:30 a.m. here right now...1 son is asleep...the other sitting next to me reading) bc we have to drive to see family that live 2 hours away and need to leave by 11:30 a.m..... We will then begin to sleep an hour earlier every night for the next week. The fasting days will seem so much longer to us waking up at 6:30 a.m. again. Uggghhhhh..... HAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAA.

We took a vacation day (my husband, me, and my mother/father/sister in law). It was wonderful. It rained in MI so the kids splashed around outside playing in their "forest" being pirates and then rescuers so on and so forth...we followed that by a several hour swim in grandma's indoor heated pool and jacuzzi. Very nice. Then it was time to prepare dinner (my father in law cooked) and eat. And if you can believe this...I took a 20 minute nap around 7 pm!!! HAAAAheeeehaaaaaa!!!

So I was thinking today about divisions and how all of the worlds religions (at least as far as my limited readings) have divided into various sects. And I was thinking...how does this occur. Aren't we all children of God. Shouldn't we instead of divide, UNITE! Unite in carrying out what is good and putting our differences of opinion aside. I mean, who can argue with the "commandments". Then I got to thinking about the Ten Commandments. The Koran doesn't have a specific statement of ten commandments like the bible...however, it does have similar messages. So, here is a beginning comparison to the commandments between the Bible and The Koran.

The Ten Commandments
(Taken from The Students Study Bible)
Exodus 20
1. You shall have no other Gods before me
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
5. Honor your father and your mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
10. You shall nto covet your neighbor's belongings

The Koran's "commandments"
1. Serve no other God besides God.
2. Show kindness to your parents
3. Give to the near of kin, traveler. Do not squander wastefully.
4. Be neither miserly nor prodigal.
5. Do not murder
6. Do not commit adultery
7. Do not interfere with the property of orphans
8. Do not follow what you do not know
9. Do not walk proudly
10. Be patient, truthful, just and sincere
11. Pray and fast (during the month of Ramadan)
12. Keep your covenant
13. Do not sell God's revelations for a paltry price

So, as you can see..rather you are a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim (or any other religion)....the instructions for living a good life are the same and isn't it interesting the first commandment of each is not to serve anyone other than the one GOD, the beneficent, the merciful. So, why then must religions divide. Christianity has hundreds of sects. Islam has 4 (that I know of) (Sunni, Shi ite, Sufi and Nation of Islam). And all argue that they are following the proper form of the same religion! Oh, how we convince ourselves that our way is the only way! Put down your defenses. Open up a bit and just see what you see without projecting anything into the world. It really is beautiful.

Goodnight to all.....