Answered prayers – My Gratitude Story

So, last month I had a bad day a series of bad days. I tend to skip out the bad details from my journal especially names so I do not hold a grudge. Sometimes though, I need to write it all out on a sheet of paper and then destroy it (it helps to heal).

My journal entry for 10th March 2017

…..Rants (I destroyed)…

…. “Ya Allah! I really need a win, just something positive, the negatives are becoming too overwhelming”.

Gratitude Log: Alhamdulillah! For Life – without it, we have nothing. No hope, no chance to be better, to give, to grow, love, forgive, or want. No chance to eat, feel, teach, learn, travel or make a difference. With all the hurt, pain, desperation, heartlessness and wickedness in this world, I am grateful for life because with it there is always hope.

15th March 2017 – 17th March 2017

The Ayeina team announced their Instagram gratitude caption contest and I entered. I did not really think of winning. I just liked the idea of sharing positivity and so I put in as many captions as I could come up with.

19th March 2017 – 21st March 2017

One of my captions was shortlisted as a semifinalist. My first instinct was not to ask people to vote for me. Let them vote because they connected to it. Just one day to go and my caption was not doing so well. I was a little sad. I started to suggest to people to vote for me, but at this point, most of them had already voted and I did not want them changing their votes so I just let it rest.

26th March 2017 – 28th March 2017

The facebook gratitude caption contest started and I did not enter. Mostly because I was ill but maybe a tiny part of me did not want to almost win again. I got a reminder on the last day to enter, went to the page and the positivity shared was contagious Masha Allah. I renewed my intentions and I entered added my captions. I honestly cannot recall all I wrote, I just wrote.

31st March 2017 – 2nd April 2017

The semifinalists were selected and I went to the site to vote. I could hardly choose one as they were all great MashaAllah. Surprisingly, I was not even a semi-finalist and I did not feel bad at all.

4th April 2017

One of my captions was apparently a favourite of the judges and I was announced as one of the winners of the contest. Something I came up with as I reflected my series of bad days…

Alhamdulillah for hardships through which we see the blessings in disguise

Alhamdulillah! I got my win!

Gifts from Zed&Q, Handmade Beginnings and The Little Bulbul.

And this pretty certificate.

The path to true happiness is gratitude. It brings with it so much positivity and the more grateful you are, the more you get or maybe it just helps you see things from a different perspective.

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ 

“Like a wise woman once said, “Alhamdulillah is a lifestyle. Seeing the glass half full – thinking, it could have been empty!”.

May Allah make us among His thankful servants. Amin!