A Journey Back In Time

It was during a Omra trip to Saudi with my parents many years back. I couldn't have been older than 9. It was a long long drive, more so I'm sure for my mom and dad who were driving with three cranky kids on board!
"You're taking my space, move away"
"Ouch! moooom she pinched me"
"no I didn't!"
"moooom are we there yet??"

You get the picture.

As my dad drove, it was sand dunes as far as the eye can see... it was mesmerising..
We stopped for a breakfast break, unloaded our tupperwares and off we went to find a cozy spot on one of the many sand dunes. I remember we had Mana'ish. I recall feeling totally bewildered and awed- I've never seen so much sand in one place! And it wasn't just piles of sand. They were waves of sand, constantly moving and ever-changing. I remember never wanting to leave the place. Who knew sand can be so magical?

After my sis, bro and I finished eating we started running around exploring. We then fell upon an ant hill buried into one of the sand dunes. It would've been easily missed if it wasn't for the few ants outside it.

Coming from a family of die-hard animal lovers, we ran to get the Man'ish leftovers and started cutting them into small pieces and laying them on the ground nearby. For what seemed like hours, we watched as every ant picked up a piece and marched in to store it inside. As the ants entered with food, more ants came out. Soon we were talking hundreds of ants all over the place! I even remember seeing a huuuuge ant coming out as well- which I thought must be their queen. Ah, the excitement at meeting the queen! And knowing that she thought our Mana'ish feast deserved her appearance:)
One by one, piece by piece, they all worked without a pause until every piece was in. The air was drenched with excitement, the ants' and ours!!!

After we were sure they have enough food to last them at least a year, we started packing to get ready to move.
I remember approaching my mom and asking "Mom, you always say that God never forgets about any of the humans and animals he created. But there isn't any food at all in this desert. How can these ants eat?".

I will never forget my mom's words as she said "Well, he just sent you to feed them, hasn't he?".

I was awe-struck. A minute ago, feeding the ants to my little mind was nothing more than an exciting fun experience that I enjoyed immensely and would be relating to all my friends once I'm back.
It's funny how a thing you do absent-mindedly without much thought, can suddenly become an enlightening experience if viewed from a new angle.
I just witnessed a miracle. I just saw with my own eyes proof of how God is All-knowing, All-powerful. I didn't just witness that, I was part of it! God chose me to play a part, I felt so thrilled.

I remember thinking, if God could remember about a small ant hill between an endless maze of sand dunes, in a small part of the whole wide world, then surely I was in good hands. I remember feeling so safe, knowing that God would never forget me- after all I was much more easily spotted than an ant:)

You may wonder what the point of my story is.. or why I chose to share it with everyone.
I was not yet 9 then, and now I'm almost 23. I still recall this story as if it was yesterday. I was brought up in a religious atmosphere, but I can assure you nothing I learnt at home or in Religion class stuck in my brain as this single episode did.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that if you are blessed enough to have kids around you that you can affect, know that you have a golden opportunity that you must treasure.
Never brush a kid off, thinking you have more pressing issues to handle. It's at this tender age that we are most impressionable, that our future identities are being formed. We are molded into what we'll become by every word thrown at us, every memory left in our brains. It is at this age that our brains are like sponges, sucking up everything in sight.

You cannot control everything your kids experience nowadays, you can't be the only influence, but you can surly be the best influence.

I wouldn't be who I am if I was brought up differently as a kid. My beliefs wouldn't be as solid if it wasn't for that simple ant hill episode.... and many more!