Publisher’s Letter

“I hope you are as lucky as I am to find a very special person with whom to share your life.”

There are many milestones in a life.

This is especially true when one is as blessed, as I am, with the fullness of life: a large extended family, children of my own, many friends, an interesting career and the good health with which to enjoy it all. Recently, a genuine milestone came and went quietly in my life, without fanfare but with tenderness and joy, marked by a quiet dinner and warm phone calls from friends and family. It was my 35th wedding anniversary. My husband likes to stay in the background, but he has made me everything I am today. We were teenagers when we met. I was 18 and he was 19—although he always jokes and pretends that I am the older one. We met while at university, two young people from divergent cultures and lands, meeting in the one place that allows for such diversity to blend. And it was, for me at least, love at first sight. The handsome young man with the beautiful smile and the warm, passionate nature became the gentle bridegroom and patient lover, steadfast partner and father of my children.

There are many milestones in a life.

The first day of school, the first kiss, the first day of university, the first job. The last night your little one sleeps in a crib and that incredible day you take her off to college. Happiness, sadness. The kaleidoscope that is life. And through all of my adult life—the moments of unbridled joy such as the births of my girls—and the moments of loss and grief as loved ones passed, I have had next to me, always there, always steady, always by my side, my husband Bahram.

When our first daughter Michelle was born, labor went into 12 hours of overtime. The man never even took a break to use the men’s room or grab a cup of coffee! The nurses and doctors commented to my mother waiting outside (that was before the days of birthing suites) that he never wavered, never let go of my hand. Many years later when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor he was steady and optimistic, not for one minute allowing me to dwell on the negative. But he spent countless hours alone in his office when he thought I was asleep, poring over the MRI images as if understanding them could somehow make the tumor go away or manipulate the surgeon’s scalpel.

Thirty-five years. A lifetime. Not all the moments have been wonderful; our marriage, like all marriages, has had its rocky moments and our lives, like all lives, have had tough times. But in the end the happy times have put the sad moments far behind and the lifetime has been worth living because it has been shared with one special man. There are many milestones in a life. I hope you are as lucky as I am to find a very special person with whom to share your life.

Happy anniversary, Bahram.