Gratitude Girl

Dear Aunt Taieb: You've been on my mind... Ammeh Taieb, you have always reminded me that when I was a baby I used to grab your hair and not let it go, so now, naturally, I think of you every time one of my dogs pulls my hair, which is every day.  I have many memories of you, most of which involve food and amusement parks.   Every time I visited Grandma and Grandpa, you came over to see me, you arranged with your husband to take me to the park, and you invited me to your house for a day or two  —  where I was treated like a princess.  You and your family drove to Tehran and stayed with us a few times. I enjoyed your lovely visits. Your children  — my beautiful cousins  —   are kind and loving, just like you and your husband. Even though I haven't seen you in nearly two decades, I have never forgotten your beautiful heart and your silly jokes. I love you and I'm grateful to have you in my life. I send you lots of hugs and kisses. Love, Noosha R...

Dear Ms. Roshankar: You've been on my mind... You were my favorite instructor in high school. Thank you for teaching me Math. I loved you and enjoyed learning Algebra and Geometry.  Sometimes you brought your son to school. He was a cute toddler, and he stood right next to you in class when you taught us. Then you got pregnant, and we were happy for you, but we knew you would soon go on maternity leave. A few of us came to your house for a visit after you left us to take care of your twins. I haven't seen you in thirty-five years, but I haven't forgotten you. I'm grateful to have met you and I'm honored to have been your student. Love, Noosha Ravaghi

Dear Mr. Nejatpour: You've been on my mind... Even though I haven't had any contact with you in nearly three decades, I think of you every time I read a German word or hear someone speak German.  You were my favorite instructor at Simin Institute in Tehran, Iran. When I went to register at that school in 1991, my plan was to just get a little familiar with German and attend only the beginning level. I never intended to study the language for a whole year. You were always so full of energy and explained the language features so well that you motivated me   —  and so many other students  —  to keep learning. I always asked a lot of grammar questions in class, and you always answered them perfectly. I learned German because of you. I even became fluent. A year after classes had ended, we ran into each other on the street, and you started speaking German to me. That day, I understood what you said, but it took me a long time to structure the response in my head, and...

Dear Afsaneh Shiftehfar: You've been on my mind... I often think of you, always fondly. We haven't been in touch for decades. Wherever you are, I hope you're doing well.  We met when I was thirteen and you were an adult, and I spent most of the next decade with you and looking up to you. You were my best friend, my older sister, my mentor, my ally, my fun parent. I don't have many memories from my teenage years that don't include you, and what I remember most is having fun and laughing with you. My first memory of us spending time together is when I was at school with a fever, and the school officials couldn't reach my dad because he was at the university teaching, so they contacted you, his assistant. You picked me up, took me home, put me to bed, and made me soup. That must be when I adopted you because from then on you and your husband and your brother became my best friends. Do you remember you gave me a haircut the day I graduated from high school? You had ...