“Absence makes the heart grows fonder”

Alhamdulilah.. my elderly parents had returned safely from their Umrah last weekend. It worries me that both are ASA 2 and are travelling to a country with the Mers-coV outbreak at the moment. On top of that, they chose to stay and perform the fast in a very humid country.

However, I convinced myself that Allah knows best. And he will protect them regardless as they are going there to get closer to Him.

Prior to their departure, I had bought each of them a 1L water bottle to quench their thirst. Also, supplies of essential medication on top of their usual anti-hypertensives and anti-diabetic drugs. So it was a pack full of :

• paracetamol
• chlorpheniramine
• benadryl
• lomotil
• metochlopromide
• oral rehydration salt

… just in case.

In fact, these are part of my routine meds that I bring with me whenever I go travelling. I’d bring syrup paracetamol and kool-fever patches for my son too.

Despite my worries, I believe they are in the safe hands of Andalusia. After all, this is a reputable company with their Umrah packages. Mom told me they were in good hands and they have the experience to handle large groups of old people. They also provide complimentary classes prior going for the Umrah so that the jemaah would have a more meaningful ibadat there.

Now that my parents are back, I can’t wait to pay them a visit this weekend!