April 5, 2023
Dear Hossein,
Thank you for your message to me as Ramadan activities near an end. I know this is a time for reflection and renewal for all members of Congress 60. Preparing and enjoying food each day for Iftar must be a time of great joy and recommitment for all who participate. Congratulations on the near completion of the weight loss book, which will be a valuable contribution to your written works. I look forward to reading it and sharing it with others. I have great faith that this latest book of yours on a healthy approach to weight loss will touch many lives as have those earlier books you have published. Overeating and excessive weight are a major contributor to rising health problems and lower quality of life of many people in my country. Too many here are in constant search of quick fixes without the sustained changes required for true health. We are constantly being bombarded with advertising for new “miracle” weight loss pills and fad diets. As for our latest book project, I finished the latest proofing of the book and received help from an associate with some formatting that improved the visual appearance of the book. All I have left to do is complete work on the table of contents and I will have a final draft ready for your approval or suggestions for any further revisions. I am quite pleased with the progress we have made on this latest project. I think this book will stand as a summation of so much of what you have tried to teach the world about the processes of addiction, addiction treatment, and addiction recovery. It has been an honor for me to work with you on this. I should be able to share the draft with you in my next communication. I have a medical procedure next week, but work on the table of contents should be complete shortly after that. When the English version is complete and posted, I will leave it to you and Ehsan to work on publishing the Farsi version. I appreciate you updating me on the latest case reports on your cancer studies. The results sound quite promising and I am delighted to hear of the results being published in medical and scientific journals. Other than work on our book, much of my time has been spent on recent doctor appointments but I am feeling good and look forward to our future projects. Many of the colleagues I worked with over the course of career are, like me, aging and reducing their professional involvements. That has made me think more about how we mentor younger generations of treatment and recovery support workers who will be the leaders of the future. I think the structure of Congress 60 provides a good model for such preparation via your training of Guides and Co-Guides and your overall organization of leadership within the branches of Congress 60. And the writing we are doing is an important part of such mentoring of the future as well as crafting our own personal legacies to the field of addiction treatment. Please extend my warmest spring greetings to your family and to all members of Congress 60.
Friends and brothers forever,