Three thank-yous before sleep

Every night before the sleep du'a, Abi started naming three things I'm grateful for today, out loud. "Alhamdulillah I was healthy today. Alhamdulillah I got to be with Mo and Ais. Alhamdulillah for good food."

At first they just listened. Then Baby Mo started joining in: "mam!" (food) — his version of gratitude. Baby Ais pointed at her teddy. They learn that even an ordinary day is full of things to be thankful for, if we're willing to count them.

Gratitude isn't a feeling that arrives on its own; it's a trained habit. A child invited to count blessings each night grows into someone who sees the glass half full. That's a lifelong gift, wrapped in a two-minute ritual.

If you are grateful, I will surely increase you. (Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7)

Then we read the sleep du'a, and they drifted off. The day closed not with lack, but with enough. That's how Abi wants them to see the world.