You Are My Greatest Treasure …

Balatarin
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You Are My Greatest Treasure …
by Mona 19
06-Sep-2008
 

When I close my eyes I can remember their smells, their soft and wrinkly hands, their warm hugs which actually they never ran out of it, their beautiful and pride smiles, and their encouraging words, their unconditional love.

What a privilege and blessing having grandparents around while we were growing up.

Both my parents were working so I stayed with them most of the summer, 13 days of Nawrouz, and sick days. Didn't you enjoy sick days ? I did :) ...it had two benefits, first I could skip school easily, and second I would spend the whole day with madar joon va baba bozorg who spoiled me :))

My grandma (paternal) has a heart as big as an ocean, and she is one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever known; even though life wasn’t so kind to her and she went through so many ups and downs.

We were close, so I could tell her all my secrets and worries, and she hoped and prayed that all my dreams come true. She always devoted her energy for us and still even though she doesn’t have the physical strength, she is ready to sacrifice herself.

One of the best things on her breakfast table was morabaye beh. I’m telling you she makes The Best quince jam, and naneh sangak, which is my favorite bread, was always on the table, hot and fresh…. after breakfast I was spending my times in the yard where there were so many fruit trees. One of my favorite activities was climbing the trees and eating the fruits up there.
Sometime she caught me and scolded me: “ what are you doing up there? …, biya payeen atish e sorkh.” ;))

My grand pa, may he rest in peace, had a gentle nature, and was a tenderhearted soul. He adored us and loved his sons, and daughter in laws very much. He never complained and was content and thankful in any situation.

He always shaved first thing in the morning…he had a cute little wooden box, which was kind of his shaving kit. Inside the box he had a small bowl, mirror, fercheh, and old fashion razor. I liked to watch him and as soon as he finished I stole a big kiss from his very soft check.

***

My grandma (maternal) is kind, sweet, and very patient …She’s well known for her greasy food, and I think one of her best Persian dish is baghali polo ba morgh.

Every Friday she invited all of us, aunts, uncles, and her son / daughter in laws, to their house and we, kids, LOVED her food …we laughed, joked, and had so much fun…and after lunch we run around the yard and play hide and seek or different games and of course sometimes we fought over silly things. …God knows how many flowerpots we broke while we’re playing soccer …good old days before we’re all scattered around the world, and moved to different countries :(

I loved sitting beside her and watching her doing her obligatory prayers. Before she started her prayers, she picked fresh jasmines and arranged them beside her mohr, …she looked so calm and peaceful while she was saying the verses ….at the end she always asked God for prosperity and health of family members and friends from the oldest to the youngest. God bless her She never forgets or skips any names.

When she calls, she always reminds me she added my husband and my daughter to her list and she remembers them in her prayers.

My grandpa, may he also rest in peace, was a joyful soul with the great sense of humor even during the time he was ill and was in so much pain. He was a great carpenter (it was his hobby) and made a lot of objects for us (grandchildren) .He had a workshop at the end of the yard… I liked the smell of the wood, and sound of his tools while he was working was the nicest music to my ears.

Thank you for devoting your energies and times to help us in any way you could. You continue to mean so much to me.You matter more than words can say, but I LOVE YOU very very much, and you are so dear to me. My heart always fills with joy and gladness when I hear your voices, and talk with you even just for few minutes.

Happy Grandparent's Day

to you, my dear parents, and all the wonderful grandparents in Iranian.com.

With loving Greetings,
Mona ;)

Balatarin
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more from Mona 19
 
ebi amirhosseini

Forgive me Mona jaan...

by ebi amirhosseini on Sun Sep 07, 2008 02:33 PM PDT

I forgot to give you a delicious Kolompeh! so here on behalf of my hamshahri K...aziz & myself, two Kolompehs for you to make your Kaam Shirin.

best wishes


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Mona 19

Thank You ...

by Mona 19 on Sun Sep 07, 2008 01:27 PM PDT

Tahirih Khanum, you 've raised an exellent point...some of us who live far from our parents, it can be a challenge to build ties between them and our children,and keep the long distance relationship healthy.

Dear Mahboubeh, I'm glad you enjoy reading it.

Dear Ms.Kaviani, It's very kind of you to visit my blog and read the story.Good take care of yourself and your dear family.Sepaas for your nice words.

 

Regards,Mona ;)

 

 


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Nazy Kaviani

Living Love

by Nazy Kaviani on Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:20 AM PDT

Thank you for sharing your sweet memories and sentiments with us. Your grandparents' love and respect for you as a child have delivered a caring and loving Mona to the world. This is how their lives will continue.


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Mona Aziz

by Mahboubeh.LA -28 (not verified) on Sun Sep 07, 2008 08:58 AM PDT

I have read your beautiful piece, and I have to say that your grandparents were lucky to have a wonderful grandchild like you.

I also want to associate myself with all the sentiments that people have expressed in earlier comments regarding you being a kind and considerate person. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Have a great Sunday :) - !


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Tahirih

Mona Khanom thanks for the beautiful article.

by Tahirih on Sun Sep 07, 2008 08:33 AM PDT

It is always nice to read about our love towards different people in our lives. I did not have the same relation with my maternal grand parents, but remember vaguely my loving paternal grandmother.

One of the things I guess lots of us miss here in Exile!!! is that our children are missing to have the same experience.

God bless your grandparents and all loving grand parents.

** I am not sure why ,people are bringing your faith into this subject,I guess according to some we minorities have to be good little puppies to avoid persecution!!!!

Talking about courtesy , they should walk the talk and in this emotional article leave your beliefs alone.

Much love,

Tahirih


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Mona 19

Dear Friends...

by Mona 19 on Sun Sep 07, 2008 03:59 AM PDT

Please don't talk about my religion in this blog...you're more than welcome to leave a comment but please do not change the subject.

 

Mona ;)


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Mona Jan

by Mehrnoush (not verified) on Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:14 AM PDT

This is a beautifully written work which embodies within it a lot of genuine affection towards your lovely grandparents.

I do believe that encouraging oneanother, especially in trying times, is an absolutely necessary thing to do. As a Bahai, I guess that's what keeps you going in trying times.

Since we have both 'Dr. Phil' and 'Opra' below, I must say that I have a dear friend 'Azadeh' who admires 'Opra', and tries to emulate her as much as possible. She tells me that she finds a lot of inspiration from her!!!!!

Thanks again for a beautiful work ;)


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Dr. Phil

Dear Opra

by Dr. Phil on Sat Sep 06, 2008 08:55 PM PDT

It's always good to encourage people to maintain a positive attitude. Especially, someone like Mona who is a minority as a Bahai, and as we all know, for right or wrong, they are being persecuted in Iran.

Regarding the fact that I may remind you of sh..r, I presume you mean our old pal Shae'r. If you look at my first comment for Mona, I referred to the fact that she was kind and gentle in leaving positive comments in people's blogs. I remember distinctly that Shae'r and Mona, among other people, left positive comments for one another on a regular basis in an effort to encourage each other.

If you are asking me if I am our old pal Shae'r, now with a new username, well let me answer you this way: I may know a thing or two about Psychology and Human Behavior, but unfortunately, writing Poetry is not one of my talents. Wish it were :)

I hope that has answered you - Good luck


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Mona 19

Dear K

by Mona 19 on Sat Sep 06, 2008 07:08 PM PDT

I think a good reason that grandchildren adore their grandparents passionately simply is because grandparents return the favor with great devotion and and loads of affections....May your dear grandparents rest in peace.

dele khosh va tane salem bareyer pedar va madar shoma arezomandam va mamnoon for your kind comment,hamvatan aziz. :)

 

Mona ;)

 

 

 


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Khar

Dear Mona

by Khar on Sat Sep 06, 2008 05:45 PM PDT

I never saw my grandparents, but from what my parents have told me about them I can picture them as cool and very loving people. Thanks for reminding me how good of a people they were.  Bless all of you grandparents out there!


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wow , Mona , Dear it is so touching

by Opra (not verified) on Sat Sep 06, 2008 05:06 PM PDT

It is so nice to hear grand children feeling so loving towards , their grand pa , and grand ma. They are lucky to have you as their grand daughter.

as far as Dr Phil, aren't we feeling really preachy tonight?You remind me of someone on this site , awhile ago , who used to preach to Mona a lot? his name starts with sh..r.


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Dr. Phil

Dear Mona

by Dr. Phil on Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:41 PM PDT

Thank you for your nice comment.

You have to understand that you will never be able to convince everyone of your faith. However, the best you can do is to be nice and gentle to people, as you are right now, and let your light emanate into their hearts.

Remember, touching one's heart is much more effective than trying to intellectually convince someone of something.

I want to wish you the best :) - Good luck


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Mona 19

Dear Mr.Amirhosseini ...

by Mona 19 on Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:23 PM PDT

We're not kermani but it's interesting to know naneh sangak and moraba beh are popular among our dear kermani hamvatans...Thanks for sharing the video clip, and kind words...May your dear grandma rest in peace.

 

Mona ;)

 


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Mona 19

Dear Dr.Phil ...

by Mona 19 on Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:30 PM PDT

Thanks for your nice words.

I decided to write and share my precious 's moments with my grandparents with readers so that they who have opposite opinions , they may remember their love for their parents/grandparents, and can see us as a human being with all the emotions and feelings, then maybe they re-evaluate their anger/hate towards us...We're all Iranian  and share the same love for our fairest land,Iran.

 

Respectfully,

Mona ;)


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ebi amirhosseini

Mona Jaan

by ebi amirhosseini on Sat Sep 06, 2008 08:56 AM PDT

I was deeply touched by your blog.I never saw any of my grandfathers & my grandmother(paternal);they passed away long before I was born,but my late grandmother(maternal) ,who happened to be my father's aunt as well, meant a lot to me.We lived very close,so mostly we spent a lot of time with her.As for Morabaaye beh(it is very popular among Kermanis) & Sangak,it was always there,but I never liked to eat breakfast( which still have the same bad habit) & she would always tell me,Ebi,breakfast is the most important meal & you need it to make your brain work! she was the only person who could make me eat breakfast!.When my son was a little kid & we were still in Iran,he loved to go to her,since she would tell him stories & scratch his back!I wasn't there when she passed away,but I never forget her ,neither my son!.

Thanks for reminding me that once I had a loving gandmother too.

sepaas

for all grandparents:

 


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Dr. Phil

Dear Mona

by Dr. Phil on Sat Sep 06, 2008 08:32 AM PDT

Thank you for a wonderful account of your grand-parents. When I was growing up, I had a wonderful relationship with my grand-parents also.

The life in Iran is so different from the one in U.S. In Iran, because the families stay close together, one has a great chance to interact with them, and experience their  love. In U.S., unfortunately because everyone is so spread out, that opportunity does not present itself as frequently.

I have read your other writings for other people. I know that you are a devoted Bahai. But I think that more importantly, you are a very kind and gentle soul.

I believe that the best testimony for one's faith is how one treats others. I have seen a lot of comments by a number of other Bahais who write on this web site. Unfortunately, some of these comments do not show a lot of gentleness and kindness towards others. But, by-and-large, all the comments that I have read from you show gentleness and kindness to your readers.

Please keep up your good work, and do not change. We need more people like you. Cheers ......


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