Ali "Ali Daee" Jafari

Yesterday, a great man left this earth. Ali was more than a family friend. He was family. Since I was just a kid, I remember holidays and vacations spent with my uncle Ali and my cousins Jenny and Anthony. Whether we all met at a certain destination or visited each others homes, the times spent with him were some of the happiest times I can remember. He had a special ability to make my whole family happy. I'm sure he could do this with any family, he could do this with the world. He was always so full of light, love and compassion. I know that since my dad came to America, he and Ali have been the best of friends; helping each other start new lives in a country and culture that was new to them. Any time my family would go on a road trip, my dad would tell us of all the adventures and mishaps from back in the day with Ali Daee. Any time we were all together with the Jafari family, I always felt like I had someone to talk to. Sadly, I feel like I never could have learned enough from Ali.

I know how bad I'm going to sound for saying this but, I have never looked up to my dad. It makes me so sad to feel like I've never been able to look up to him. He has never once told me that he is proud of me, never told me anything without insulting me at the same time. I just don't feel like I should look up to my dad. The one "father figure" I've had is Ali. I say this in the sense that even though I never really had any deep conversations with him, I knew that if I ever needed him, he would be there. I knew that he would always love me and my brothers the same as he loves his children. He always gave me that feeling.

There was a stretch of just a few years that we all spent quite a few holidays together. Everytime, I was always not only so excited to see Jenny and Anthony ("hhoussssekeeeppping!!") but I was also always very excited to see Ali. I could never really show how excited I was because I couldn't let my dad feel like I liked Ali more than I liked him but I was excited nonetheless. It was always a great feeling to be in the same room, at the same dinner table, or even jet-skiing with Ali. He had the kind of spirit that could truly and sincerely light up any place.

Ali was a man that truly loved life. He loved his kids and he never failed to let them know that. This was something that I was always jealous of. What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't tell the truth? I know how horrible of a person I must sound like sometimes but I need to tell the truth. I was jealous of Jenny and Anthony because they loved their dad. They always respected him and honored him, as I'm sure they will continue to do in his absence. I have never felt that for my dad. Any time I get the slightest little inkling of that emotion, he does something to tear it to shreds. Ali is the person that gave me hope that maybe one day, my dad could be as kind and loving as Ali. Anyway, this is not about me or my dad. (I seem to have gotten carried away).

Since the day I heard of Ali's accident, I have been going a little crazy. It was the day that I was going to tell my dad that I was going to go to culinary school. I didn't even have the guts to tell my dad to his face. I sent him an email. As soon as I heard the news about Ali and Theresa, I went into my dads email account and deleted it. I knew that if my dad was feeling anywhere close to what I was feeling, that it was not the right time to tell him. All I could think at that moment was that Ali needed to get better. Since then, every moment that I've gotten a chance to sit down and really think, there was always only one thought in my mind..."Pray for Ali". I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and sorrow that has come over his children. All I can do now is pray that they have peace and that they realize that they are not alone. They say that there is power in numbers when it comes to prayer. I know that there were probably an unbelievable number of people praying for him to get better or at least for the best possible result to happen. I know that death is not anyones idea of the best possible result, but we need to remember that he is no longer suffering. His children made the hardest decision imaginable and I know that they will emerge from this situation stronger than they already are and so much more ready for anything that comes their way. Their father was always proud of them and I know that they will never fail to make him proud as he watches over them.

Ali Jafari was the kind of man that I would like to be. A gentle man and a gentleman. He will not be forgotten. He will always be loved and I hope that one day we will meet again.

FF
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