Sunday Reflections

I now routinely carry my camera everywhere. I am constantly snapping pictures of anything and everything that makes me think. Some days I wonder what I would ever do with the hundreds of pictures I have which I will probably never use and no one will ever see! But pictures of my friends and of any and all interesting people I meet are always fun to re-visit. Let me show you what I downloaded from my camera today. These two are Alireza Eshraghi and Nasim, my friends in Berkeley. Though very young, Alireza is an accomplished journalist who has been an analyst and chief editor to important Tehran newspapers over the past decade. He is a visiting scholar at Berkeley's School of Journalism this year. Most of you who visit here already know Nasim. Nasim is a reader-turned-good-friend. She and her wonderful husband, Jay, live in Berkeley and work at the University. Nasim and I had a lunch date on Wednesday and I asked Alireza to come along, too, to meet another wonderful Iranian in Berkeley. We had an enjoyable time chatting and eating salad and taftoon bread!

Folks, meet Ray. He is the cat I'm watching for the next few weeks, while my friends Kerry and Mark are away. He is a very sweet cat with an excellent disposition. He and I are getting along famously! He is a talker, too! Have you ever seen a cat that talks?

This is Shahram. I met him at a party on Friday night. Actually, in this photograph he is sitting next to an Iranian celebrity. I cut out the celebrity's photo, because to me the celebrity in this photograph was Shahram. I'll tell you why!

Shahram told me he is 55 years old. Can you believe it?! Mashallah! When he faced our surprise he said the key to his staying young is that that he has been able to love. He has loved life and people and family and friends and even awkward situations, he said.

As for real love, he had a great story to share. He said when he was younger he loved a woman named Asieh, who moved away and became lost to him. Ten years later he was at a friend's house when his friend told him her friend, Asieh, was arriving from London that evening! Shahram didn't waste any more time! He married Asieh soon thereafter. He said he loves Asieh all the more for how long it took for the two of them to finally get together. Isn't that a wonderful story?

Shahram and Asieh were so lucky, because they had ten years to wait for love. Not everybody is that lucky. If you love somebody, please don't lose them! Do what you have to do to keep them from slipping away and disappearing on you! Hold on to those who matter to you and confess your love to them. Happy Sunday you all!