Count your blessings, count them one by one. Count your blessings count them one by one. Count your blessings, count them one by one. Count your many blessings, count them one by one. 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

If you read that as a popular Nigerian church song, then you definitely grew up in the streets of Nigeria 🤣

As Salaam alaykum  

It’s been a minute, life has been lif-ing yet we give thanks to the Lord of the worlds. How have you been? I hope have been keeping well.

Last weekend, I had a potluck with some amazing sisters and the theme was ‘count your blessings’. Now you know where the title of today’s letter originated from 😁. It was a relaxing time of bonding and gracefully winding down 2022. There is something so beautiful about sharing and also listening to the experiences of others and I am super grateful to be able to hold space for it. Alhamdulilah rabil Alamin!

, I am sure by now you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you I am here to encourage you to count your blessings today. TODAY oh, not tomorrow.

You see, we are at the tail end of 2022 and I am sure you would have been seeing lots of reflections post by people on their wins, losses, and in-betweens. If it has spurred you to do your own gratitude reflections, way to go! If for some reason you don’t feel enthusiastic in this period or you are feeling overwhelmed and annoyed by it all already, I empathise with you and also implore you NOT to allow that feeling win.

I get that it might be uncomfortable especially if you ‘feel’ like you haven’t had a great year ( been there, done that). I could very easily say unfollow/mute anyone whose post is causing you distress but is that really the solution? Is avoidance the solution? If we are really being truthful, is their sharing the problem or is the issue with(in) us?

, it is a part of our nature as humans to want to reflect, particularly during big life events or milestones like birthdays, death, relocation, marriage, childbirth, a health diagnosis etc. The nature of this reflection and what you get out of it ( positivity or negativity) depends on the state of your mind and soul. So my dear, if someone else’s reflections on their past year is making you uncomfortable, what you want to do is sit down, lay down, take a walk etc whichever way you prefer and do your own reflections too. 

Yup! That’s right. What’s stopping you from doing yours? I can assure you that however ‘bad’ you believe your year went, there is at least one thing to be grateful for. Your task if you wish to take it is to sift through all the uncomfortable feelings and events and find those silver linings of experiences that you can be grateful for. The only way to combat negativity is to overwhelm it with positivity and a great way to experience positivity is through gratitude. 

Yet the truth is that we cannot tap into gratitude if we do not mindfully reflect. May I also state here that reflection doesn’t have to be as ‘serious’ we make it seem. You do not have to dedicate a special corner or time before you can do it, although it does help for consistency sake to be in a settled state but frankly speaking, It can be as shallow or as deep as you can manage at the time. Your reflections can be quick or slow, organised or scattered. At the barest minimum, it takes a moment of pausing to carefully consider a situation or event for a few seconds. The best part? If you regularly indulge in reflection, it really doesn’t take much to identify things to be grateful for and evoke the feeling of gratitude.

One thought I have come to understand is that reflection is a right that we MUST exercise as human beings, particularly as believers. Do you know why I know this as truth? Because Allah SWT says severally in the Quran and I paraphrase that ‘ do they not reflect'?

We have been blessed and entrusted with a body and mind as a means to worship Allah. One of the functions of our minds is to help us reflect in a way that ultimately gets us closer to the wholesome worship of our creator. Just as we would account for how we used our time, our body , our wealth etc, we will also account for how we used our mind. So it really is something to be ‘mindful’ about.

Reflections and reminders benefit the believers and if done correctly is a super way to have a conscious enriched life. Gratefulness is a by-product of reflection and it is a state embodied by a true believer. It is not an option to count your blessings , it is MANDATORY. So dear , take a few seconds or minutes or an hour today and reflect on all the obvious and not so obvious blessings Allah has given you. The lovely and not so rosy life experiences Allah has decreed for you and bring out all that you can be grateful for. You will be astonished by all you uncover!

If you can go further to write them down, perfect! But if you cannot, it’s okay too. Gratitude reflection on its own will still bring about positive benefits. So go ahead and turn up that gratitude dial. May Allah count you and I amongst those who are grateful and may He bless us beyond our wildest imagination. Ameen!

Personally, I am grateful for a whole lot of things but one I have recently come into awareness of is how all my life experiences are piecing together nicely and for that I am eternally grateful to Allah. , please feel free to respond and indulge me with one thing you are grateful for today 😉

Before I sign out ( this sounds like secondary school slum book filling days lingo. 😩🙈), here are a few resources and announcements I would like to share with you today: 

1. A resource I have used in the past to wind down my year is a booklet created by the Year compass. It guides you through reflecting on the past year and dreaming into the future. I love that the prompts are easy to work through. You can download it here 
2. The Reflection pods by NISABAAH which I have spoken about in my previous letters to you will be starting in January 2023 in shaa Allah and we are now open for sign ups! Ma shaa Allah, a number of you have indicated interest which makes me excited ( do expect an email from me). I would love to see more of you join in bi ithnillah. Find out more about it here and sign up! Can’t wait to have you onboard.
3. I have come to a place of tranquility in my life and as a way of showing gratitude, I would like to share some insights into what and how I have been able to get here. I would be a hosting a webinar which I have titled Thrive: how to step into a life of purpose, progress and peace. If you are currently feeling unsettled, constantly anxious or stressed, I encourage you to sign up. In shaa Allah it is beneficial for you.  

4.The intentional Muslimah community is holding their Muslimah Rise conference on the 7th of January 2023, God willing. If you are up for a good time, beneficial reminders and a chance to connect with other sisters and possibly brothers, then you want to attend. Attendance is free but you have to register. (See below for details) 

Feel free to use one, two or all of them !

Always rooting for you,

Your sister,

Sekinat