Gone Too Soon .......

2009 is gone.

What can I say about 2009?

It was a sad year to start with.  There were a number of deaths in the family all throughout the year.  I had my own personal loss when my mother passed on. And my FIL passed away last month.   Other family members too, had lost someone close and dear to them.

And Michael Jackson died!

Yes, it was a sad year, but I am not going to dwell much on it because it was their time to go, and I can't stop it. The memories will always be around to keep me company.

So, let's look at the good stuff.

Well, I got another book out.  Now, that is good!  Thank you to everyone who have given their support for the book. The next book, you asked? Not so soon.

I made a trip to Bandung and met-up with Felicia, a tatter that I go to know through the online tatting community.

My daughter finally got her wish to continue her studies.  She is now studying for her Masters degree in England. That is a new experience for her which I know she will treasure.

And to close the year, I made my pilgrimage to Makkah.  That is the highlight of the year for me.
Here are some pictures to share with you.

The Kaabah and the mass of pilgrims circumambulating it.

A picture with the Kaabah in the background.

 

With my two sisters outside Masjid-ul-Haram, in the centre of which is the Kaabah

 

Masjid Nabawi in Madinah

  

 Another section outside Masjid Nabawi

 

A view inside Masjid Nabawi

And what has 2010 in store for me?  I don't know and I have not made any plans for it. But I have resolved that whatever I do, I will want to make it better than 2009. Here is a quote that says it very nicely.


We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce