A few weeks ago, I was asked to deliver one of the most difficult khutbahs of my life - a preparing for Ramadan khutbah on the Friday just before the start of Ramadan. How can I possibly motivate people about Ramadan? This was compounded by the fact that I myself was not yet mentally prepared for the onset of Ramadan. Truth be told, more than the forgiveness and virtues of the month, most of my personal discussions simply lamented the fact that the fasts this year were going to be SOOOO long.