A headscarf, glasses, long-sleeved shirt, and a laptop. Oh, and probably an extra book or two.

It was fun, but I ate too much candy.

Two of my favorite topics are the ones you're not supposed to discuss:  religion and politics. I also enjoy talking about history or travels.

Oh, and if you really want to get me started, ask me about my granddaughters!

I can be patient. In fact, that's probably one of my greatest strengths. My parents didn't believe in instant gratification (and couldn't afford it if they did) and they never spoiled us. For that, I am very grateful.

Right now is not a time of waiting for me, but a time of action. The big wait, the presidential election, is over. I'm taking new steps to improve my health and well-being. My life is on track. For now.

Ask me again in a couple of months, when the January winds bring cold and ice and snow. Then I'll tell you that I am waiting, and hoping, for the spring.

The five daily prayers I make help more than anything. I also concentrate sometimes on breathing deeply.

Very gently. Do not pull the covers off of me. Don't turn on the light and make lots of noise. And never ask me a question I have to answer. My brain wakes up slowly.

When I was a kid, my mother tried all kinds of tricks. A couple times she told me it was snowing outside. That worked the first time. She tried to be creative, though I think sometimes she simply gave up and told me to get out of bed or I'd be late. Amazingly, my father could come in, touch my shoulder, and tell me to wake up in a soft voice, and I would. I don't know how he did it.

You can ask my family how difficult I am to wake. The best way for me to wake up is on my own. Often, if I decide I will wake up at a certain time, I do. Even then, though, it takes me a few minutes of stretching and yawning before I'm halfway ready to meet the day.

I wake up slow. Is there a problem with that?

It depends on the magnitude of the decision. On smaller issues, I often go by intuition. When it comes to larger issues, I pray for guidance.

The hardest decisions I've had to make were related to parenting. How often do you say yes, especially to a preteen or teen, and how often do you say no? In general, my formula has been one time yes for every two times no. My kids think that's too strict, of course, but just wait until they have teenagers.

God is very much in charge of the universe, whether or not  we acknowledge His existence.

Nearly thirty years ago I went through an intense spiritual struggle, questioning everything except my belief in God's existence.

Now I'm satisfied, drifting along on the truths I finally discovered.

I sing a little, in the privacy of my home. Sometimes, when my family is gone, I dance. I wish I could draw or paint but I have no talent for that. But I do write. The first time I knew, for sure, that I wanted to be a writer was when I was in fourth grade. The teacher assigned us to bring poems to put into a class anthology. Rather than turning in someone else's poetry, though, I wrote my own. Everyone raved over it.

These days I write novels. Or, I suppose I should say, my characters write my novels. Some of my most enjoyable moments are when I'm sitting in front of my laptop and the characters take over the story, moving it in directions I never anticipated. In those moments I am somewhere else, and my family has learned not to disturb my trances. When I write, I take flight, and the world is full of possibilities.

We Americans have elected an intelligent man to preside over the affairs of our country. I was afraid that the majority of my fellow Americans wouldn't be smart enough to pick him. This is one time I am very glad to be wrong.

My family includes those I'm related to by blood or marriage, but this encompasses an ever widening circle.

My parents had four daughters. The oldest, I'm a Muslim convert with a Thai husband. My next two sisters are Christians of varying degrees. The youngest recently married a man who was born in Russia, to a Jewish family.

My husband and I had six sons. Only one is married so far, and his wife is a Spanish-born Muslim. Did I mention that my paternal grandparents immigrated from Greece? In a sense, my son has returned to my European roots.

I have seven nieces and nephews on my side of the family, and over 30 on my husband's side. My relatives are from three continents, so far, and I expect that as my younger sons marry this will also expand.

So my family is narrowly defined as being someone with a direct relation. But our family is all-encompassing.