Missing My Beloved Father-In-Law
June 3, 2021
From the moment I first met Iradj, driving Mana and me from the airport to his house, he made me feel a part of his family. He was kind, compassionate, accepting – not at all the picture I had painted in my head. I’d heard the stories. He had been a diplomat; he had had a storied career, interacting with statesmen, presidents, kings, and queens. And when it all came crashing down, he chose family over notoriety, hardship over expediency. His integrity and veracity … they were not just random ideas; they were qualities he chose to live by.
To say I was at first intimidated, is an understatement. But I found him to be so much more. He accepted me as I was; I felt he delighted in embracing a son-in-law whose love for his daughter rivaled his own. That’s not to say he wasn’t intimidating – he once beat me at ping pong, a feat that probably should not have surprised me. Iradj Joon was good at so many things but never chose to boast. He had a quiet way of shattering expectations.
Another thing Iradj Joon excelled at was thinking of others. He knew I loved Indian food and made efforts for the two of us to frequent various Indian establishments. One time, he even asked the waiter to prepare for me a dish that was not on the menu. The restaurant obliged, only to deliver a horrible tasting adaptation. To say he was not happy would be an understatement, but not because of the chef’s shortcomings. I sensed he was frustrated because he thought he’d let me down. For me, I was not worried about the food, I was simply awed by the gesture.
Love is not an emotion easily communicated. All I can say is that the type of love Iradj Joon engendered in me was based on affection, respect, encouragement, and support. He was an immeasurable source of strength, to me, to his family, to those he truly cared about. And we all profited from our relationships with him – either through counsel or observation. In this way, the man who could have been so intimidating turned out to be so human, so caring, so profound. His many accomplishments aside, I will always consider him my second father, a man worthy of love and deserving of respect.
I know I will never be able to fill the space Iradj Joon left in my heart, even though I try to fill it with the wonderful memories he left behind. Thank you for those memories and more! I will always love and miss you, Iradj Joon.
To say I was at first intimidated, is an understatement. But I found him to be so much more. He accepted me as I was; I felt he delighted in embracing a son-in-law whose love for his daughter rivaled his own. That’s not to say he wasn’t intimidating – he once beat me at ping pong, a feat that probably should not have surprised me. Iradj Joon was good at so many things but never chose to boast. He had a quiet way of shattering expectations.
Another thing Iradj Joon excelled at was thinking of others. He knew I loved Indian food and made efforts for the two of us to frequent various Indian establishments. One time, he even asked the waiter to prepare for me a dish that was not on the menu. The restaurant obliged, only to deliver a horrible tasting adaptation. To say he was not happy would be an understatement, but not because of the chef’s shortcomings. I sensed he was frustrated because he thought he’d let me down. For me, I was not worried about the food, I was simply awed by the gesture.
Love is not an emotion easily communicated. All I can say is that the type of love Iradj Joon engendered in me was based on affection, respect, encouragement, and support. He was an immeasurable source of strength, to me, to his family, to those he truly cared about. And we all profited from our relationships with him – either through counsel or observation. In this way, the man who could have been so intimidating turned out to be so human, so caring, so profound. His many accomplishments aside, I will always consider him my second father, a man worthy of love and deserving of respect.
I know I will never be able to fill the space Iradj Joon left in my heart, even though I try to fill it with the wonderful memories he left behind. Thank you for those memories and more! I will always love and miss you, Iradj Joon.