Ties of Kinship

Z’s at it again. No matter where we are, she will ask about each family member…almost daily. This includes grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles, even her aunt & uncle’s cat that she loves. My brother-in-law upon hearing Z ask about each family member referred to it as her taking roll call. When Z asks about each family member, I usually respond saying where each family member is. This includes Pakistan, West Virginia, Peachtree City, and even Turkey last week as my parents were visiting Turkey for business.

Yes, I think about my family members, but I don’t ask about them everyday. Z would be perfectly content to see each family member daily, or talk to each one on the phone, or even Skype. Such is her love for her family!

In our world, our days pass by in a blur. We don’t have time for each family member, to call them, to check in on them on a daily basis. We are so used to a quick text, a quick email. Z can’t email or text so has to resort to good old-fashioned phone calls, face-to-face time, and as mentioned Skype!  Some people are great at this skill: keeping family members close, aka preserving the ties of kinship. I need to work on it.

So even if I don’t reach out to all the family members listed in Z’s roll call, I can try to at least think of them positively, or even better say a prayer for them. I know grandmothers are great at praying for every single person in their family and remembering them too. I think Z must be pretty good at it too.

“And enjoin prayer upon your family [and people] and be steadfast therein. ” (Quran 20:132)

“Whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him maintain the bonds of kinship” [Prophet Muhammad: Bukhari]