Tamara
In Hebrew, it means "palm tree," a symbol that has come to hold great significance in a number of cultures and religions.
Romans and Christians alike saw the palm tree as a symbol of victory; the former rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military accomplishments with palm branches. Sometimes the palm was used by Christians to represent Heaven. From the mouth of the Psalmist we learn that "the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalms 92:12).
In Judaism, the palm has been known to symbolize peace and plenty; in Kabbalah, it has even been used to represent the Tree of Life.
Muhammed is said to have built his home from palms; thus the tree symbolizes rest and hospitality in many Middle Eastern cultures.
In Assyrian mythology, the palm can be seen connecting heaven and earth, and it represented long life in ancient Egyptian culture.
Even today, the palm tree carries significance, appearing to many as a symbol of paradise.
Why do I tell you this? Because Tamara, my wife, is for me all these things. Her name means "palm tree," and truly she exemplifies everything I've mentioned above.
She is my paradise, my oasis, that island of happiness to which I can go whenever I need to. Tamara is my connection between heaven and earth; she is the one whom I trust to lead me to paradise and beyond.
Tamara is my rest, my haven, my safe harbor- when life's tempest rears its fearsome visage, I know I can go to her and find peace, safety, and calm. In my life, she has come to represent peace, as to the Jews, and heaven, as to the Christians.
And to this day I wonder what victory I achieved, what wonder I accomplished, that I should be rewarded with so great an honor as being the one Tamara chose to have, to hold, to love and cherish for time and all eternity. No champion of the Romans ever won so great a prize.
But Tamara means so much more than all this, both my Tamara and her name.
In Sanskrit, the name Tamara means "spice," and my wife gives such flavor and variety to my life as the most exotic spices give to any food- sweet, savory, sharp, or mellow, dull moments ceased to trouble me the moment I met Tamara.
But my favorite, in the Indian language of Malayalam, Tamara means "lotus flower," a rare and most beautiful treasure, prized in cultures all over the world. Tamara is my lotus flower, the most beautiful thing in the world to me, a treasure of which I strive daily to be worthy. So often I fall short, but she always lifts me up and gives me a chance to try again.
Here's to two wonderful, unforgettable years of marriage to the most precious, the most beautiful, the most wonderful woman in the world.
I love you, Tamara.
"It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it is most burdened."
- Sir Philip Sidney
Romans and Christians alike saw the palm tree as a symbol of victory; the former rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military accomplishments with palm branches. Sometimes the palm was used by Christians to represent Heaven. From the mouth of the Psalmist we learn that "the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalms 92:12).
In Judaism, the palm has been known to symbolize peace and plenty; in Kabbalah, it has even been used to represent the Tree of Life.
Muhammed is said to have built his home from palms; thus the tree symbolizes rest and hospitality in many Middle Eastern cultures.
In Assyrian mythology, the palm can be seen connecting heaven and earth, and it represented long life in ancient Egyptian culture.
Even today, the palm tree carries significance, appearing to many as a symbol of paradise.
Why do I tell you this? Because Tamara, my wife, is for me all these things. Her name means "palm tree," and truly she exemplifies everything I've mentioned above.
She is my paradise, my oasis, that island of happiness to which I can go whenever I need to. Tamara is my connection between heaven and earth; she is the one whom I trust to lead me to paradise and beyond.
Tamara is my rest, my haven, my safe harbor- when life's tempest rears its fearsome visage, I know I can go to her and find peace, safety, and calm. In my life, she has come to represent peace, as to the Jews, and heaven, as to the Christians.
And to this day I wonder what victory I achieved, what wonder I accomplished, that I should be rewarded with so great an honor as being the one Tamara chose to have, to hold, to love and cherish for time and all eternity. No champion of the Romans ever won so great a prize.
But Tamara means so much more than all this, both my Tamara and her name.
In Sanskrit, the name Tamara means "spice," and my wife gives such flavor and variety to my life as the most exotic spices give to any food- sweet, savory, sharp, or mellow, dull moments ceased to trouble me the moment I met Tamara.
But my favorite, in the Indian language of Malayalam, Tamara means "lotus flower," a rare and most beautiful treasure, prized in cultures all over the world. Tamara is my lotus flower, the most beautiful thing in the world to me, a treasure of which I strive daily to be worthy. So often I fall short, but she always lifts me up and gives me a chance to try again.
Here's to two wonderful, unforgettable years of marriage to the most precious, the most beautiful, the most wonderful woman in the world.
I love you, Tamara.
"It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it is most burdened."
- Sir Philip Sidney
Comments
and I thought I was DONE with research papers.
But yours was a LOVELY paper.
I am so glad you found each other!!