Tags: princess anji

fairy!anj

Happy 40th Birthday Princess Anji

Our Darling Princess Anji,

Happy 40th Birthday Anjali .. wherever you are!
Today would have been your big 4-O. We are certain wherever in the world you found yourself, you would have many friends and had a big party. We know Covid really has hampered any plans we would have had to travel – but we would not have missed your party. If all else failed, we certainly would have used technology – ZOOM or something to be with you.

We are in our fourth year of “retirement”. Time to travel, re-energize our relationship with our family and friends. Spend some quality time with you and your significant other, as well as with Tanya and Scott. It is not quite working out that way. Mom has engaged herself in volunteer and leadership activities. Earlier this year dad’s boss in Dallas, asked if mom could help his company out. They were having a significant turn over, and they were struggling with their HR functions. She agreed to help out on a part time basis. But guess what – there is no such thing as part-time, especially with a small company. She quickly realized that the company needed a huge amount of organizing almost to the point of wondering if she made the right decision to accept the task. As you know, she is one who keeps her word. So, she is marching on.

We both seem to be putting in a huge number of hours in the various activities. After breakfast, we retreat into our separate offices and emerge for small breaks. We both agree that we feel like we are on a hamster wheel – running very hard but getting no further.

We thought Covid was done and finished. We made a trip back to Dallas for a company event. And both of us came back with Covid even though we are fully vaccinated. We went through quarantine. We both seem to be okay, but still a little wary of air travel and crowds. We had plans to visit family in the UK and in India, but both areas seem to be showing trend reversal. And we have put our plans on hold for a while.

We gave Rachel a small surprise. It was not too difficult to remember her birthday – it is the same as dad’s. We also knew she was about the same age as you. A very chocolatey cake was delivered to her to celebrate her 40th. She did call us later that evening to thank us and a good catch-up chat. Afterwards, we talked about how many such conversations with you, and your infectious laughter, we have missed!

Some sad news too – Lloyd is suffering from Parkinsons and he is spending most of his time in pain. We received a letter from Melanie – beautifully written – conveying his decision to bring his pain to a close. They have not decided on the date but is likely to be soon after the summer this year. We understand his decision perfectly but cannot get away from the feeling of acute sadness.

Happy Birthday, Princess Anji.

Oh, how we miss you!

Mom and Dad.
fairy!anj

Happy 39th Birthday, Princess Anji

Our darling Princess Anji,


Happy 39th birthday our dearest Anjali wherever you are! Perhaps you would be settled down in your dream place – Japan – established as a super educator, teaching Shakespeare and learning/soaking in Japanese culture. Perhaps we would meet virtually through Zoom or Skype or some other way.  Emotionally, spiritually, and in every other way, you are in our hearts and minds every day.  And, today when we should be celebrating your birthday surrounded by family, friends, plenty of music, food, conversations, laughter, and of course a lovely cake with 39 candles, we so wish we could celebrate with you here.


At present the world seems to be falling apart. Each day as we wake up, we look forward to the day ahead, our minds filled with positive thoughts, hearts filled with positive energy. All too quickly we are reminded of the ongoing pandemic. Vaccinations are available, and we were led to believe that we had won the war with the pandemic. Alas that is not to be! Politics, dogma, and to some extent sheer stupidity have raised their ugly heads, with scores of people rejecting vaccines. We now have a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Not only is the virus course on reverse, the new virus mutations have proved to be hugely problematic and dangerous. 


For us, and for people all over the world, last year was a washout. With social isolation for safety measure, we largely stayed at home, with very limited forays out of our home. After we got our vaccine shots earlier this year, we thought we had passed the big hurdle. We started making plans for travel to visit family, explore new places, spread our wings about after being cooped up for a year.  Sadly, that lasted only a month or two. We feel we are now back into 2020 - all our plans on hold again. Zoom has filled in for online contact, hardly a substitute for real hugs, smiles, the energy of everyone being in the same room, and the hearty laughter – simple yet profound human pleasures you excelled at. We wonder what you would think of the current state of our country and the world at large.


Climate change, wild fires, floods, end of the war in Afghanistan……..events that have shaken the world and human beings to their core. And yet, humans keep on keeping on! The resilience and determination of humans to make sense of their world continues to amaze and sustain us day after day, as do the memories of 25 years of happy times with you. 


Happy Birthday, Princess Anji. 


Oh how we miss you!


All our love, hugs and birthday Wishes,


Mom, Dad, Tanya

sugar and spice

Happy 37th Birthday

Our darling Anjali,

We miss you every day, and even more on your birthday. Your love of celebrations, of gathering friends to have fun with, planning your party down to the last details……we learned so much from you about “joie de vivre”. You taught us life is to be lived, and we hope you are doing exactly that, wherever you are. 

Tanya will be celebrating her 2nd wedding anniversary on September 2nd. You would be so proud of the woman she has become, and the life partner she has chosen in Scott. He loves music, plays the guitar and drums and sings too. We imagine the wonderful impromptu concerts we would have had with both of you singing, and Tanya accompanying you on the piano. The mental images are so strong of these events,  sometimes we believe they have actually happened. 

In April this year, Tanya and Scott celebrated their joint birthdays here in our home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where we moved last year, after 24 years in Texas. Their friends drove in from Washington DC, and for the first time in many years, our house came alive with the sound of live music, as they had an outdoor concert. We missed you so much.

You will be amazed that life in Fredericksburg, Virginia reminds us somewhat of life in Ottawa, Canada. Four distinct seasons, trees, lakes and rivers close by, beautiful fall colors, and an actual winter with just enough snow to shovel. But the biggest reason for us to move here was to live closer to Tanya and Scott, just about 60-90 minutes away. They visit us frequently, and spend weekends with us. We miss you even more even as we enjoy their company, wondering what the conversations at the dinner table would be like, what music would be played, what games would bring the competitiveness in each of us. 

We are trying to make the best of the happy times we are fortunate to experience, even as we wonder how different life would be, with you here, with us. 

Wherever you are, our princess, we know you are happy, and showing others how to make the most of each day. 

All our love and birthday wishes,

Mom, Dad, Tanya


sugar and spice

Happy 31st Princess Anji

August 19, 2013 – Our Princess Anji would be celebrating her 31st birthday today. Where would she be living? What would she be doing? Would she have found the love of her life by now – someone who accepted her, cherished her, and loved her for who she had grown to become?

Alas, as her parents we cannot answer any of these questions except in our own imagination. Of the one fact we are extremely confident. Wherever she is, whatever she is doing, she would be spreading sunshine and joy through her positive energy, her megawatt smile and her infectious laughter.

We have imagined many times that Anjali would have found her home in Japan and perhaps decided to live there among her students who learned enough English from her and she had learned enough Japanese from them to carry on long, involved philosophical discussions with ease in either language.

Or perhaps she would have returned to Santa Fe, New Mexico to live in the beautiful hills to continue her work with the AVID program and the students she loved so much, watching proudly as each graduated from high school and with her encouragement took the giant step to attend college – the first ever in his or her family to do so.

Her music – the singing, the piano playing, the violin playing, and perhaps the cello she wanted to learn to play – would have brought her into contact with the eclectic world of musicians not simply as an admirer of their music but as a fellow performer. We wonder if her TAMS group would have reunited to perform RENT once again to the delight of all the families who were just blown away that first time they witnessed the amazing talent of these young people way back in 1999-2000.

Perhaps she would have moved to Washington D.C. to live close to her sister Tanya, going to Coachella and Bonneroo with her and a group of friends. We know she would be totally at home in that environment.

Alas, none of these are to be reality –just imagined in our minds and hearts. And yet sad as we are at not being able to see her, touch her, hear her voice, something tells us she is okay. In fact more than okay – she is happy in her new world, achieving the long list of things she planned out for herself and when we see her again each of us will be welcomed with that enchanting smile, hugged with those all-enveloping arms, and hear her voice saying:

“Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hey Tanya!”

Happy Birthday Anjali! With all our love, hugs and kisses,

Mom, Dad, and Tanya