Dear Mahmoud: Happy 35th anniversary! (since our wedding on June 25, 1988!) When I was 16, I came across an article that struck me—one where the (female) author made an intriguing conjecture about women: “Unconsciously,” she said, “We don’t want to marry someone just like our fathers; we actually want to marry someone just like our mothers.” Hmmm. Was that true—at least for a good number of us women? I pondered its meaning for thirty seconds or so. But somehow the notion remained in my head. Seven years later my mother died at 54, and six years after that I met you. And that’s when I understood the author’s words. I had fallen in love with someone—a sweet man from Iran—with something in his makeup that reminded me of my mother! It isn’t just that you’re a nurturer by nature, just like Mom was in her strong, yet understated way.
And it isn’t just that you’re generous to a fault, by which you freely give away your time, talents, and acts of service, like Mom did. It also lies in the uncanny and quirky coincidence of qualities you share—I mean, my darling Mom and the darling man I married:
Had Mom been alive, I believe she would have been the first in my family to understand that you were for me. And you were the first between you and me to find Mom’s graveside again when we returned from Iran after four years away. The truth is—without ever having met, you are kindred spirits in my eyes, and you both still bloom in my heart. How deeply and gratefully I celebrate you both on our thirty-fifth (coral) anniversary!
14 Comments
Elizabeth Ann Saunders
6/26/2023 04:30:12 pm
Oh what a beautiful love story.
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6/26/2023 08:16:24 pm
Thank you so much, Elizabeth Ann--you who have faithfully cared for both of us since even before those 35 years started!
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Kathy Kelley
6/26/2023 07:20:00 pm
Beautiful letter, Leslie, as is the love story you and Mahmoud share. How lovely you have awareness of these similarities between two of the most significant people in your life. Thank you for sharing it.
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6/26/2023 08:19:25 pm
Thank you, Kathy--thank you for receiving something so precious and mysterious to me.
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6/26/2023 11:51:02 pm
Such a beautiful letter, Leslie. A very happy anniversary to both of you, and many more to come.
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6/27/2023 06:40:15 am
Oh Leslie, how beautiful. You found your soulmate and grew with him-a gift! Happy and joyous anniversary to you and your family.
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6/27/2023 09:46:21 am
Thanks so much, Antoinette! I am grateful for that gift—and truly touched by the gift of friends who celebrate with me!
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Kathie Clyde
6/27/2023 07:07:34 am
With "quiet joy" we receive this eloquent celebration of both Mahmoud and your mama. And I love the pairing of the two pictures in this post ... heads touching, looking forward.
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6/27/2023 10:02:40 am
Kathie—thank you for enjoying our photos and honoring Mom and Mahmoud with me! I love the way you describe what you see in the pictures, which serves as a beautiful, important reminder to me.
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Wendy Elle
6/27/2023 11:18:22 am
How beautiful Leslie! Congratulations and what an honour to be a witness to such a eloquent pairing!
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6/27/2023 12:35:14 pm
Truly, Wendy—what a joy to have you present as a witness! What a gift to feel your support!
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Evelyn Cunninegham
6/28/2023 08:20:20 am
What a beautiful tribute to two beautiful people! I feel so honored and fortunate to have had both your lovely mother and your dear, wonderful husband in my life. I agree with you that they share many great qualities--I think of their kindness, generosity, ability to be present for someone else and make them feel truly special, their sense of fun, and so much more. I do think they would have shared a special bond, and in fact do share something very wonderful, which I also have the pleasure of being part of--our love for you! Happy anniversary and many more <3
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6/28/2023 03:05:12 pm
Dearest Evelyn, who has known me and my family since we both were 14!
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AuthorDr. Leslie Ahmadi discovered her intercultural calling in her parents’ home at age four--where between the jazz, the spirituals, and the rock ‘n roll music, she heard folk songs in languages from around the world. Thirty years later she had a doctorate in foreign language and culture education--and her folk song guitar never far away. Archives
July 2024
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