by AnnSheybani | Feb 11, 2011 | Faith
This is a guest post from the author, Beth Jannery. During times of crisis, people often reach for the overused, and sometimes annoying, cliché that God will not give us more than we can handle. Then there is another popular comforting notion that what does not...
by AnnSheybani | Aug 31, 2010 | Alcoholism, Faith
Like a junkie with a 14-gauge needle, my mother used books to blot out reality. Curled up in her chair, immersed in a novel, she ceased to be aware of anyone or anything around her. When she put her book down, exposed herself to the rage and tension that contaminated...
by AnnSheybani | May 31, 2010 | cancer, Cultural Issues, death, dying, Faith, fatalism, Final Gifts, hospice nurse, Kubler-Ross
So much time has passed, but the two and a half years of illness are still fresh in my mind. I can still hear his voice calling me from the hospital after exploratory surgery. From the tone, I know something is terribly wrong even before he tells me. He’s supposed...
by AnnSheybani | Nov 30, 2009 | Alcoholism, Authenticity, Cultural Issues, Faith, Honesty
When I first began writing and presenting my short stories about Iran, people in my workshop class looked nervous. No doubt remembering the fatwa placed on Salmon Rushdie’s head for his Satanic Verses, they asked me, “Don’t you think Iranians might...
