Tag: Family

Just writing

The Captain’s daughter

nhpureandsimple

One day I took my daughter to the local library to get a new book. She picked two, and it was my turn to choose mine. It was The last Pearl by Leah Fleming that caught my sight.

It was the first time to know about Fleming or read any of her books. It’s about a young woman, Greta’s journey in time and place. It’s about family, family poverty, family struggle, family failure, and family success. It’s about kindness, cruelty, misery, and happiness. And that’s the book I have been looking for.

Then I borrowed another book; The Captain’s Daughter. I expected to finish it by the end of the Christmas holiday, but I read it; done.

It’s the story of two Titanic survivors, two women that were destined to save the life of each other. It’s about kindness, friendship, family, motherhood, and humanity. If you’re interested in the setting of different countries, moving home, wartime, and relationships between different cultures and backgrounds, then this one is highly recommended.

And one more thing about the captain’s daughter, it explains how ‘the secrets in a woman’s heart are deeper than the ocean.’

Have you read any of Leah Fleming’s books?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

Just writing

Youtube channel

nhpureandsimple

I no longer watch TV; all of my favourite programmes, movies, songs, even my daughter’s favourite cartoons are available on youtube.

It’s also fun to know about others and watch their experience, their success, and their business. I really believe they should be so brave to do that.

My son has started his youtube channel, I think it was about five years ago. Football, he thought it would be all about. But now he is sharing some new interests.

This is the link for his channel; check it and if you like, subscribe to his channel.

YMH Football

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPuCdHFWFWSmA2w0zkoUnQg/channels

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

Just writing

I am David

nhpureandsimple

 

Image result for i am david anne holm

 

This is a novel by Ann Holm. I haven’t read the book yet, but I’ve watched the movie. I think it’s good although some people might find it full of unlikely coincidences. But don’t we have those unlikely coincidences in real life? I mean if we look back at those significant moments in our life, we would realise that we have experienced some of those unlikely coincidences too.

David is 12 years old; he managed to escape from Bulgarian Forced Labour Camp and to travel alone to Denmark. The variation of characters is very interesting; the fellow prisoner, a sailor, a baker, an Italian family, and widowed artist, they all helped the boy, intentionally or unintentionally,  to reach his destination, and to discover his story.  And what I find more interesting is the message of the story which is to believe in the goodness of humanity.

 

This is one of the movie best quotes;

“Life wouldn’t be worth living without trust. Be cautious, but live fully and freely. Make friends and see the goodness in people or you’ll never find any happiness.”

Truth, isn’t it?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

Just writing

Do you argue?

nhpureandsimple

 

Image result for why argue

 

 

 

An old man was asked; how you enjoyed such good health at your old age.

He said; I’ve never argued, and I leave when people start arguing.

Peace. That’s the word to describe that old man’s life.

Argument is not just to defend your point of view, or to prove what is right; I’ve read it’s also a threat response; maybe our pride, our reputation, our family, our future, our position,  and many other things that we ague to protect or conceal or even to gain others’ respect.

As a mother, I learned from my children that nothing would change when we kept arguing. The more we argue, the less we would reach compromises, but the less we argue, the more we agree to compromise.

My recent argument was on the way home with my daughter; she wants to buy a hairspray to colour her hair like her friends for the charity in need fundraising activity at school. In the beginning, I refused and insisted; and she cried and insisted. I explained that it might be harmful and she explained that it’s suitable for children. I told her there are other ways to have crazy hair and she explained that without colours it would be the dullest idea ever. I remembered the old man and said no more, and in the morning, she suggested to colour her plait and not all of her hair as a compromise.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

Just writing

Mother

nhpureandsimple

 

Image result for anne turkish drama

 

Last week  Anne a Turkish series, just popped on as a suggestion on Youtube. Anne in Turkish means mother. I really like how it is pronounced. I watched its trailer but as there were no Arabic or English subtitles, I couldn’t understand anything. I didn’t give up. I googled to find out more about the original story; there might be a book, a novel that I can get and read. Soon, I found out that it was an adaptation of a Japanese series Mother and that’s it. Today, I’ve just finished all the eleven episodes.

It’s a heartbreaking story; something that really can touch your heart, something very noble in its significance and dramatisation. It’s about a young girl, about seven years old, whose suffering turns a desperate teacher into a real mother. Her innocence reunites an old mother with her abandoned daughter. Her small heart inspires a young mother to appreciate her baby’s life. Her simple words torture the abusive selfish mother. Her story teaches Love; the unconditional, the intuitive.

If you want to find more, it’s available on Youtube; it’s really worth watching.

Here is the trailer;

 

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

Just writing

Was it yesterday?

nhpureandsimple

 

 

Image result for first day at uni

Today is the first day for my oldest son to join the academic studies; today is the first day of his studies for a BA degree at university. I am excited, happy, and even nervous. In fact, I think I am more happy and excited than him. This new generation is weird!

And I’m grateful, really grateful, deep in my heart,  for all those blessings, I have had in my life.

An hour ago, or maybe less, I told my son about my first day at university. I pictured it as it was yesterday. That day I was happy, excited and very nervous. I preferred to take the underground train because it was fast and less crowded. I had to walk quite a distance before and after getting the Tube. But that long way gave me more time to enjoy and relax and it was also a good opportunity to meet others going to university although they were joining different departments and schools.

That day, I didn’t understand anything. I was one of the quietest, more precisely; I was the quietest girl in my group. But I was lucky because most of those quiet girls were also getting the Tube so I had a company on my way back. It was a hot day. The café was all full and busy, the benches out were the same. I remembered how I hated my new shoes, its heels and my painful blisters. I got back with a list of books to purchase, read and prepare for the following week. I passed by my high school; it was so close to my house and saw the girls in white shirts and navy skirts. I missed those days, I thought when my neighbour stopped me to ask about my first day at university; good I said and smiled but I wish I wouldn’t have gone in those high heels.

Was it yesterday? Oh my God, how those years have passed like a glimpse.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

Just writing

I love holidays

nhpureandsimple

img_2878

This summer holiday, my children wanted to visit the pyramids and go to any nice beach in Egypt. The beach was a good idea but visiting the pyramids in August means we would melt.  Anyway, both plans didn’t work which was great because the weather was too hot to go out during the day.

As usual, we spent the holiday visiting the family which was good for my children to practise their Arabic.  Sometimes, we went shopping at night; big shopping malls have been one of the modern characteristics of Cairo. My children liked to go to some of them but this holiday they were shocked at the prices; when I asked them to calculate the difference between the Egyptian and English pound, they realised that it’s the same.

One of the main things I always mention in my posts is that I really love being on holiday with my children. Together; we laugh, we play, we talk, we eat, we try new things, we go shopping, we see old photos, remember old days,  listen to old tales, we sleep by sunrise, we get up at noon, and we really have fun even though we couldn’t have any of our plans done.

Let me know how was your holiday?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

 

Just writing

Football

nhpureandsimple

 

Image result for fifa world cup 2018

Do you like football? Which team do you support this world cup?

I am not a big a fan of football as a game or any special teams. In fact, I don’t understand that much about the game rules and strategies; I just know the basics or it can be less though my boys are good players and love the game. This world cup, I found it so funny to watch the game with the boys and teasing them by asking questions; I just want to understand what is going on. They like it when I watch but they found my questions a bit annoying, ‘mama, look at the screen,’ they would complain. Of course, I did but I just want more details; why the goal was cancelled if the ball lodged like a bullet in the middle of goal net, something like that.

I watched the game between Egypt and Russia but I couldn’t stand it. Yes, that’s true. I support my country but I found it so boring. I looked at my son, he was on his phone. He was bored too. This means I was right. There was no intense in the game, the players were not playing, they were scattered everywhere. And the star Mohammad Salah looked so poorly and couldn’t do his best without being supported.  I gave up and left.

Yesterday, it was Iran and Spain. My question was which team is best-known? ‘Really, mama. Is this a question?’ My son exclaimed and laughed as if it was a jock. ‘Spain, mama. Spain is one of the top teams.’ I really don’t know but when I watched the game, I realised this fact. They really played so well but the Iranian played well too, most of the time they were defending but they did what they were planning to, I think.

This is part of my humble experience about football this world cup. Let’s see how far it will go!

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

Just writing

My son is 18

nhpureandsimple

Related image

 

 

How did hours, days and years go that fast?

It was like yesterday when I held him in my arms, close to my chest and cried.

My baby with his little eyes, his little nose and his little mouth had arrived safely.

His hands were so tiny in my hands. He cried. He yawned. He had a good night’s sleep.

Today, he is 18 and I am so proud of my young man, the eldest.

Now he is taller than me, stronger than me, and smarter than me.

Now he is more like a brother, a caring brother.

But in my heart, he will always be my baby.

May the future of our sons and daughters be bright, purposeful and prosperous.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

Just writing

Can we try?

nhpureandsimple

Image result for visiting manners

 

 

Inviting others for Iftar (breakfast); friends, relatives, or some acquaintances is a popular tradition in the month of Ramadan. Muslims believe that if one shares or offers a meal with/to others, he/she will be heavenly rewarded.  When I started writing this post, I mainly thought of the manners that both visitors and hosts are supposed to have in order to enjoy their time together. I did not think of those sophisticated rules of etiquettes; what to take as a gift, how to sit, how to eat, what to say and so on. These are great rules but I thought of something very general, sometimes that can be very hard to apply. Can we try not to poke our noses into others’ affairs?

One day, a friend visited me after I gave birth to my daughter. It was her first time to visit me and apparently she liked both the place and the house. After giving her warm congratulations; she started a series of investigations all about how many? how much? how far? All those ”hows” made her 30 minutes visit pass like 5 hours. I pretended that I didn’t know most of the answers and changed the subject to her little son. That was why she left early; ‘ You look tired,’ she said and left.

There was a story in Arabic; I have read recently. It teaches one of the visiting manners. The story was about a Muslim scholar whose best student used regularly to invite him at his house. One day, the scholar’s cousin offered to give him a ride to his student’s. Once they had arrived, the host invited that cousin to join them. They talked and ate and then it was time to leave.

On their way back, the cousin poured all his thoughts;

‘ Your student is a real gentleman; kind and generous. His house is so big, clean and tidy. His attire looks expensive and neat. And the food, it was the best I have ever tasted. His people have high skills of cooking. I’m sure he is very wealthy.’

The scholar did not comment. He was riding his cousin’s donkey and listening while watching the sun setting.

‘But they have bad manners; they let women serve food and drinks. Have you seen that woman who was holding the water jug for us to clean our hands after dinner? I don’t like that,’ his cousin added

The scholar looked at his cousin and said; ‘ I have been regularly visiting that student for ten years. I ate their food, I drank their juice and I washed my hands in their house countless times, and yet I don’t know if I was served by men or women.’

His cousin said no more.

The lesson is; they were invited to have a meal, not to interfere in other’s life.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla