The past few days have been quite a roller coaster of emotions for me:

-I had to solve a big problem of getting my stuff to my final destination (Riyadh) in the fastest, easiest and cheapest way possible.

-My hub. has been apartment hunting, and after a week of looking he managed to chance upon the perfect place. However the perfect place was also a tad expensive and the landlord wanted the full rent for the year immediately. That caused a bit of a panic as well as the fact that the landlord said he wouldn't promise us the place till the cash was in his hand. Sooo, there was a lot of decision making and...

Everything worked out!! He included an extra month free because my hub. won't need the place till Jan. '09, and I'll be moving in Feb. '09 Inshallah, so it's a bit of a waste to start the lease in December.

The apartment issue is now resolved. We have the place, the landlord seems like really nice guy Mashallah, and everything worked out beautifully in the end. Alhamdulillah.

The issue regarding my stuff has been kinda solved, at least for the more important items, but getting my books across to Riyadh seem to still be a problem. Inshallah I'll be able to figure out a way.

As I was discussing the minor details of my apartment last night with my hub, I realised that Alhamdulillah, everything has been going very smoothly for me and I've been so blessed with everything according to my necessities. I've always been picky living in middle eastern climates because I can't be comfortable without AC, and this apartment comes fitted with not 2 or 3 but FIVE split ACs (including one in the kitchen). It saves us such a huge amount of money, a very rare find in Riyadh. Also, I can't stand living in places that have been used & abused badly by previous tenants. Alhamdulillah this place is brand spanking new, everything is sparkling white & freshly painted. It has beautiful ceramic floors, so no need for wall to wall carpeting and 2 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 living rooms (one is more formal like a majlis room for gatherings) and the other is like a casual sitting room. Of course there's a kitchen as well as a pantry/storage room. The feeling I experience when I think about the place, is like an artist who is given a clean, white canvas to *work their magic* on. Alhamdulillah. The extra perks are that the building is new, the area is fantastic, very close to a nice compound, there are mainly Western Muslim families around us, extremely close to a very large masjid and my hub's colleagues and families live right around the corner so I won't feel isolated or alone.

The main topic of my post was actually to reflect on my many blessings:

Alhamdulillah, I've been so blessed throughout my life, I've been born into a wonderful family with amazing parents, and they gave me the best education and upbringing. In Canada I was blessed with wonderful friends and companions, and blessed with the protection of the Almighty. I was also blessed with the ability to acquire an Islamic education and with a very nice place of employment during my stay there. When I decided to leave Canada, I was blessed with a wonderful husband and now I've been blessed with the ability to live so close to the holiest sites of Islam and blessed with a beautiful home.

I can't even count my blessings because I've had so many that I can't even recall. I try to always praise Allah (swt) and to be grateful to my Creator for His generosity and mercy and kindness towards me, even though I'm not worthy of these many blessings. I realise that nothing and no one have the power to give me anything except Allah (swt). As He says in the Quran:

Is, then, He who creates comparable to any that cannot create? Will you not, then, take heed? For should you try to count Allah's blessings, you could never compute them. Allah is, indeed, All forgiving, All compassionate; and Allah knows all that you keep secret as well as all that you bring into the open. [an-Nahl 16:17-19]