500 DAYS without FREEDOM

I am stunned that after 500 DAYS of fighting with ALL our might, Josh and Shane remain unjustly imprisoned in Iran. 


For 500 DAYS I have not been able to see Josh. For 500 DAYS I have not been able to speak to Josh. For 500 DAYS I have not been able to write to Josh...Not one of the letters I have written and sent has been given to him. 


So on DAY 500 I am posting this letter to Josh in the hopes that it circles the globe and reaches Josh in spirit. 

Dearest Josh, 

I am so deeply sorry for everything you are going through. When I first heard, I wanted to pull you out with my own two hands. When I couldn't do that, I put my hands to constant work to free you. My hands type on email, facebook and twitter, in letters, blog posts, and articles to free you. 

My hands make films and banners and bring people around the world together to free you. My hands hold your hand, Shane's hand, Alex's hand, your mom's hand, your dad's hand, Sarah's hand, Shane's family's hands, our students' hands, and our now mutual friends' hands in our joint fight for your freedom. We will keep fighting every moment that it takes until you are free and with us again. We feel you with us always and I hope with all my heart that you can feel us with you. 

So much love, 

Farah

Haunted

For 16 months I struggled to find words to describe how it feels to have someone I love held illegally in an Iranian prison. On the eve of month 17 one word came to me, one word that captures my feelings.

Haunted.

I am haunted. 

I have been haunted for 497 days.

Haunted by images. 
Haunted by thoughts. 
Haunted by feelings.

Haunted by the thought of Josh held captive. 

Haunted by the image of his blindfolded eyes.

Haunted by the feeling of his stifled voice.

Haunted by the thought of Sarah, and now Shane and Josh 
feeling they lost everyone and everything they love 

without knowing when they will get it back.

Songs soothe my haunted spirit.

I need the beat to keep my heart beating when it wants to stop.

I need the lyrics to express feelings impossible to describe. 

I need the melody to sing when there are no words. 

Sarah’s song is especially soothing…because she knows the pain.

Sarah’s voice is especially powerful…because it was silenced for 410 days.

I wake up every morning singing 
“When I get out of this, I'll never lock anything inside. 
Take all my friends for a walk down by the oceanside"