A Letter to My Father
I wrote this letter for my father's memorial. Several people asked if I would share it. I share it here with love, in the hope that it may help others reflect on their own fathers, their own silences, and the words they still long to say. Dad, Your passing broke something in me that I desperately need to heal. I have carried this letter in my heart for a long time. I have cried with these words more times than I can count. Today, I am finally giving you these words. I know we, your children, Kambiz, Ramin, Kathy, and I, each knew you differently. We each carry our own memories, our own love, our own questions, and our own relationship with you. I can only speak from mine, with love, humility, and mercy. Dad, You were a learned man. You loved poetry, literature, language, and ideas. From you, I inherited that love. That is the essence of the legacy between us. It will endure in me forever. For that, I am eternally thankful. Even in your final days, we would sit together reciting po...