Thank you for your comments and emails following the loss of my mom, Jeja, to Covid on January 7th. Some of you have written for the first time and others I’ve known over the years. I feel like I’m being cradled, lifted and supported, by a community that I didn’t know I had.

Writing a blog is a strange experience because you put a lot of yourself out in the world but you never know who is receiving it and how they are reacting to it. I’m heartened that so many of you have connected to my stories about Jeja and have grown to love Afghan food and culture. I'm heartened that our message of putting our differences aside to find common ground so we can connect across cultures, religions, and borders has resonated with so many of you.