Öfter mal was Neues…! Something new...!

I received this invitation from my sister-in-law (my brother's wife) through WhatsApp. They live in Houten, Netherlands. So the first clue about her personality - She's a very lively and amusing person. Despite knowing that I couldn't magically teleport 5,767 km in just 12 hours and 45 minutes from Pakistan, she still had the spirit to send me the invite to this fancy dress themed birthday party of my three beautiful nieces.

She is the person I will be writing about under this very heading "What's new / Öfter mal was Neues…!" HER little initiative and adventure will be the theme here, rather than something new that I did myself!

Regarding the contest...

I'd like to know from you what the last thing was that you tried out that was completely new - and how it went!

...I will be narrating the following incidents/ interactions :)

After translating her invitation card from Dutch to English with the help of google translate, I texted her, and our conversation went like this:

The last two sentences in roman English can be roughly translatd to; "My heart desires (to come) so badly", and she replies: "One day, if God wills".

I asked her to send me all the details of this to be fun-filled birthday party, including pictures and videos. I couldn't wait for those pictures because I knew she always comes up with something out-of-the box, given the kind of person she is. And, she did live up to that expectation and graced my WhatsApp gallery with something new, hence the topic of this article! I will share some of the pictures from the costume party here (with her permission, of course). I will share this article's link with her also :)

_{The legend herself in a costume}

I loved her get up❤️

_{In an another one! With her lovely daughters}

I wouldn't have had the energy to be in one, let alone two getups, after arranging and executing the party; Her hands were full with three kids and a bunch of guests' children. Later, she mentioned that she was also babysitting her friend's kid at the last minute. She is a genuinely helpful person as well.

_{My eldest niece as wonder woman}

_{The youngest one is as naughty as they come: BeautifulElsa from Frozen}

_{home made cupcakes.}

I could see from the videos and photos that everything was perfectly executed and it was a fun filled costume gala. The kids laughed their hearts out. They had a blast that day. All in all, it was a success. My nieces were super happy. They loved thier presents and everything about this party and most of all they loved their mom's whole hearted participation in their costume party. They couldn't stop narrating the whole incident to their grandparents (both sides) and uncles, aunts here in Pakistan.

I have always admired my sister-in-law's delightful personality. She never lost her mojo and fun-going nature after going through some very difficult and painful incidents in her life. This is what inspires me the most about her. I would never be the same person if, God forbid, something like that happened to me.

She was pregnant with her first daughter when she found out about the relapse of cancer in her younger sister, who was more than a sister to her - they were soulmates with an age gap of only 1 year. Alas! The universe has its own way of testing our patience and vulnerabilities. The news came with one trial after the other. No one in the family qualified as a candidate for a cross-match for the bone marrow transplant, except for my sister-in-law. I think one cannot come across a situation more difficult than this. Their parents were at their most helpless. But I will say that my brother and sister-in-law handled thr news with utmost grace and courage. They volunteered for the donation without much delay! Of course, after discussing all the pros and cons and weighing out the risk factors with the doctors and with my father, who is also a doctor. Nevertheless, it was not an easy decision for anyone. I couldn't even imagine myself in her shoes. She went through the procedure, donated her bone marrow to her sister while herself being in the second trimester of pregnancy.

One could only begin to imagine the gravity of this turmoil. After enduring all this physical and emotional trauma, her trial didn't end here - Despite everything possible, that could be done within everyone's power, her sister could not be saved (May Allah grant her the highest place in heaven. Amin). She was in her last trimester by then! But the way my sister-in-law handled this nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching incident is more than remarkable.

I still remember the black beaded baby bracelet that her sister had bought for her, yet to be born, baby girl. She would have been the best khala (aunt), that anyone could ever ask for!!!

(So if you are reading this Fatima, I want to tell you that for me, you are the epitome of strength. You are also my go-to person. May you be united with Maryam in heavens. Amin.)

She never allowed this pain to alter her spirit. She has such a good equation with every member in my family. It's really heartwarming when my father (her father-in -law) calls her Daar sahib (Mr. Daar), which is her father's family name. She's my kids' favorite mami (aunt), always eager to engage with them in fun and exciting ways. She is a diva when it comes to creating hair-dos. During her yearly visits to Pakistan, there's usually a line of girls from the family waiting for a hair makeover infront of her. She is a multitalented person with tons of creativity. In short, she truly personifies joy.

I wish her all the love, all the happiness and the beautiful things in life! She definitely deserves this!!!