Eid, Alone, Again by Eilaf Farajalla
It’s hard to celebrate when there is no one to celebrate with. As we enter the second year of uncertainty and as the pandemic rages on, we expect our religious rituals not just to bring us together but to hold us together. With most dining rooms and living rooms empty, and when attending the Eid prayer with grandma becomes just as much an exercise in tempting the fates as it is a quiz in public health knowledge, one wonders where God is, here and now? God is Here. Allah is He
The Fourth of July by Eilaf Farajalla
I held my nephew’s little hand in mine as his little mouth dropped open in wonder of all the colors splashed across the sky. This was his first 4th of July. He was 3 years old. Too young to know what the fuss and the fanfare were for, he still knew that this was an important day. We had woken up early, went to the park, cleaned up the house, dressed him up in a new set of clothes and we tried (and failed) to tame his unruly afro for the firework show tonight. Still, as a chil
The Summer Solstice by Eilaf Farajalla
I huffed and puffed my way through the yoga class. This was supposed to be easy, I thought to myself. It had started off easy but it sure didn’t feel that way. The instructor was gentle, making sure to give us enough time to keep up with her. When the postures had to be held for too long, she would remind us as to what we were doing this for, as we focused on our breath and tried to connect something bigger and higher. But this class was different, this class was taking place
