The Postcards My Grandma Gave Me Were Hiding A Secret She Took To Her Grave

The week after, I brought the letters over, and we read them all together. There were many tears, of course, but also shared laughter and stories I’d never heard. The complete picture of our unusual family finally came into focus.

The most poetic twist of all? In her will, Grandma Zahra had left me her house. It was a modest little bungalow in Oregon. I was a burnt-out corporate marketing executive living in Los Angeles, bitter and exhausted from my recent divorce. I never thought I’d want the house.

That little bungalow became my sanctuary. I left the city, moved up north, and started a small creative studio right from her old kitchen table. My daughter, Reya, who is now six, has a beautiful backyard, fresh air, and a kind neighbor who bakes us baklava every Friday.Continue reading…