4/17/2008

Watching the Harvest

Two boys share a secret in Iran. Photo by Nader Davoodi from Iranian.com.
I have been staying home to take care of my health and life this week. So, it has been a peaceful week, and contrary to appearances and circumstances, it has been one of the happiest few days of late. I received some pretty happy news this week. A letter came in the mail, inviting me to a wedding this summer. An email came, inviting me to write something for a fabulous cause. An instant message came, inviting me to a lunch. And a really fantastic thing just came in the mail--my older son's admission to University of California at Santa Cruz! I am so excited you guys! I am so glad he has admission to such a fine university, whether or not he decides to accept the admission offer. It is so good for him to have good choices, hard choices to make. People who make choices become stronger in life, feeling more in charge and less trapped. I am so aware of the "privilege of choice" in building young people's character and future. At this moment, it is really hard to tell which one of us is happier! He is the one making the choice, so he is probably less happy. I am the one who sits observing the harvest of seeds sown in his life, with more seeds and harvests to follow. I am the happier one, I believe.

26 comments:

Leva said...

He is rock!
I told you! I told you I know how to pick best men! ( For Friendship here)

I m so happy now for him. he is such a great kid no matter of his weekend businesses and all your worries about him. Oh, I m so happy now. I was witness the night he! finally submitted his application and I m so happy to here the news.

Go Kavi, Go.

Leva said...

Well, to HEAR the news. I m so exited I guess.

Daisy said...

That was fantastic news. My congratulations to you and your son. As I was ready your post, I could read the message of a proud Mom between lines and you should be. You've the right to be proud of him. Congratulation to your son for getting to such a good university. Congratulation to you for raising such a fine young man :)
P.S. I particularly liked this sentence, “People who make choices become stronger in life, feeling more in charge and less trapped”. very meaningful title as well.

Anonymous said...

Nazy jan,
Wow, Congraaaaaaaaatssssss
what a great news to start your day with. I wish him success and all the best. (Nazy jan, shiriiniiii please…..;);) )
I also read your previous post. so worried until the last sentences...
Please take care of your self. we are sometimes so worried about other things
that we forget ourselves for a while....(what I have been doing recently... :( )
Best wishes Nazy jan & have a very great weekend.
(How's spring over there?? trees are blooming in our town ;)--I should send you pics of that)
Best wishes,
Pardis

Helaleh said...

Nazy joon, I am soooooo glad for Kavian and your health and the fact that you finally took some days off! and that I will see you tomorrow night. Finally that doctor post, as other people mentioned too, Do not do that to us evvver again! :)

Anonymous said...

Felicitation.

Esfand` said...

wow! congrats ... UCSC is really good!
Hope he makes a choice that leads him to further good in life~
My regards and wishes! :)

مسعود said...

سلام نازی خانم
نمیدانم هنوز هم به بچه ها موضوع انشاء "علم بهترست یا ثروت " می دهند یا نه؟ آنموقع همه می نوشتیم:البته واضح و مبرهن است که علم ...بعد ها فهمیدیم که گاهی وقت ها اگر ثروت نباشد علم دست یافتنی نیست،و رمز اینکه دربار سلاطین محل تجمع دانشمندان بود یکی هم همینست.اما چیزی که حقیقت دارد و قطعیست اینکه از علم ثروت ها بدست می آید.به این شازده پسر تبریک می گویم زیرا بقول شیخ بهایی:

مالی که زتو کس نستاند،علم است
حرزی که تو را به حق رساند،علم است
جز علم طلب مکن تو اندر عالم
چیزی که تو را زغم رهاند،علم است

و مواظب باشد که بقول سنایی

چوعلم آموختی ازحرص آنگه ترس، کاندر شب
چو دزدی با چراغ آید،گزیده تر برد کالا
همیشه خوش خبر و منتظر خبر های خوش باشی

Shadi said...

congraulaaaaaaaations Nazi jan and son,
i could feel all the pride and joy in your lines. you have every right to feel the way you do. great job both of you

much love,

SERENDIP said...

What fantastic news...UC school are the best...Of course, I'm biased!

Anonymous said...

UCSC! Wow!

I am so happy for our poet!!!!

This news made my night!!

abc said...

WOOOOW Im so happy for this good news ...dear Nazy, congratulation:)))
I missed you alot.
with best best wishes
Halat

Anonymous said...

نازی جونم سلام.الان یک ماهی میشه که می خوام راجع به انسان های عامل بنویسم و تنبلی میکنم.شاید این پست شما بهم کمک کرد.شاد خوب باشی

Nazy said...

Leva Joonam:

Thank you so much for your kind comment and your good vibrations for my son. I read your comment to him and he said to tell you: "Mokhleseem!"

You already know the reason I am so happy about his admission. For several years, he didn't take his education seriously, only wanting to read books and write things. Now, all of a sudden, he is graduating his two-year program with good grades and is being admitted into fine universities, and I'm delighted with the surprise of it all! My one joy about him continues to be this, Leva Jan: His heart is in the right place!

Thanks again for your encouraging words. I miss you.

Nazy said...

Salam Daisy Jan:

Good to hear from you my friend. I once attended a seminar which in a way changed my life. In it, we were taught about the miracle of "choice" in a person's life. Having options and choices makes us stronger, more assertive, and more powerful. Someday I will write about this in more detail. In this post I merely passed along something someone else had taught me in my life. Something that has had a profound impact on my own life.

Thank you for your good wishes Daisy Jan. Since that night, I have learned that he has also been admitted to UC Santa Barbara, which is another fine university in Southern California. We will be taking a road trip to go visit these universities before he has to make a decision (June 1st). I'm sure I will write again about that, too!

Take care my kind friend.

Nazy said...

Pardis Jan:

Thanks so much for your kind words! Spring has been in full bloom in our parts for weeks (complete with allergies for my older son!). Please do send your photographs and I will post one for everyone else to see, too.

Yes, great news about Mr. Bi Khial! I am really proud of him for it.

Take care azizam and come back again soon.

Nazy said...

Salam Helaleh Jan:

It was so good to see you and your cousin Saturday night. Wasn't that a wonderful gathering? I had a really good time.

Sorry for worrying you with my writing! Heeh! I was practicing the "suspense" genre! Just kidding! You know I write inside my blog and seldom edit what I write, except for spelling, so I never know how things end myself! That piece turned out funny like that (well, not so funny!).

Be good azizam and come and visit us in our parts again soon.

Nazy said...

Thank you Shokaran Jan! I hope your week is going well and that you come back again soon. I just tried to get your blog address to add you to my humble list, but couldn't get your link. Please leave it next time you come to visit. Be good doost-e man.

Nazy said...

Salam Esfand Jan:

Thank you for your encouraging words. He will need to make a decision about where to go soon, so we will be giving him a hand to make up his mind. Santa Cruz is such a beautiful patch of this earth! We will visit it soon and I will write about it. Have a good day Esfand Jan, and happy belated birthday!

Nazy said...

سلام مسعود جان. مرا به یاد قضیهء خنده داری انداختی. من همیشه می نوشتم علم بهتراست. اما یک بار که شیطان در جلدم رفته بود، نوشتم: ثروت بهتر است، چون به چشم خودم دیدم که کسی اسم پسرش را با پول در دانشگاه ملی نوشت که صاحب علم بشود! معلم من بر خلاف همیشه که به من در انشاء 20 می داد، این بار انشائم را بدون نمره به من برگرداند. گفت خوب نوشتی و مرا خنداندی اما می خواستم بپرسم آیا با دیدن یک نمونه می توان چنین نتیجه گیری جامعی کرد؟ از سئوالش خجالت کشیدم. راست می گفت. خیلی ها می توانند با پول به دانشگاه بروند، اما همه نمی توانند با پول، حتی در دانشگاه هم ارزشمند بشوند. بعد ها یاد گرفتم که ثروت واقعی در توانایی های شخصی و فکری و ذهنی و قلبی افراد است نه در جیبشان و حساب بانکی شان و حتی آن پی اچ دی و دکترایی که بعضی ها یدک می کشند. من به بچه هایم همیشه می گویم که من در زنگ انشاء یاد گرفتم چیز بنویسم و تمام زندگیم از این توانایی بهرهء مادی(به عنوان یک کارشناس در محل کارم) و معنوی(به عنوان یک نویسندهء آماتور) برده ام.

از آمدنت ممنون و از کلمات تفکر برانگیزت متشکرم.

Nazy said...

Salam Golabi Jan:

As I explained in my replies to previous comments, my pride is not in his being admitted to a good university. This and even better things happen for many other young people, especially in the circle of educated families around me. What makes me really proud is that my son has taken his sweet time in "self discovery" and the business we call "life." At one point, he attended college in Cyprus, where he didn't study at all! I always joke with him that being surrounded by all those vacationing European tourists in Cyprus, he assume that he, too, was there to vacation! Even in the recent years he has shown very little motivation for scholastic achievement, sticking to what pleases him more than what is "necessary." I'm glad he has lived and learned and is doing things with a pace that suits his thinking. Yes, I am proud of him for figuring things out for himself and in a positive way.

Be good sweet Golabi and kiss that beautiful Bardia for me. Please send a new photograph of him so I can see how much he has grown!

Take care.

Nazy said...

Salam Bar Serendip-e Ziba!

Heeh! I am biased, too! That night we opened that admission to UC Santa Cruz, I was dancing around the house with joy and my boys thought I had gone crazy! Since then another admission came in the mail, too, and the same thing, more or less, happened! I think any UC would offer him a great education. We'll see which one he picks soon.

Thanks so much for coming to visit me my friend.

Nazy said...

Greetings beautiful and sweet Assal!

Thanks for your supportive comment my friend! So, which one is better in your opinion: UC Santa Cruz or Santa Barbara? Not that the choice is mine! I think he would rather stay in this area, so we'll see! Come and hang out with us this weekend if you can.

Nazy said...

Halat, Halat!

Thank you and thank you for coming back! I have conveyed all the good vibrations and comments to him. Though he doesn't know you like I do, he was touched at the kindness.

Please come back again soon.

Nazy said...

Salam Mana Jan:

I have missed you girl! I will come by and see what you are writing! I am still blown away by your picture and how beautiful you are! Wow! Smart AND beautiful! You are unforgettable, to be sure.

Anonymous said...

My choice would be UCSC...

But, my reasons for that are that I am not comfortable w/the Santa Barbara lifestyle (even though he would stay on campus most of the time). I think Santa Cruz will keep a student more down to earth in general. But, with Kavi, he has a strong mind and conviction, so he'll make the best of every new experience he encounters. He's strong like his mom and dedicated to the subject he's pursuing...He should go whereever his heart leads him. He'll be a success!