Message in a Matchbox

<p><strong><em>It all started</em></strong> during our family reunion in the summer of 2006 when I discovered an invaluable treasure: my oldest brother's memories of growing up. His name is Mohsen and he was born in Tehran Iran to poor struggling young parents. As early as age six he figured out how to be creative and make money to fill his empty stomach. As he related his memories to me I understood what had made him the fascinating jovial and hardworking man he has become. He has always had a calm confidence about him as if he felt no need to impress anyone. He didn't have to. He had been through so much that by the time he was twenty-three he had lived a fuller life than most people ever experience. </p><p>These stories are selections from Mohsen's many memories.</p>