A daughter, a father, and the poems that guided them

An Ottawa womanwill celebrate Father's Day with her dadfor the first timeinmore than 25 years atacharity photoexhibit to celebratethe poetic lessons he imparted.

ParisaRezaiefar, a family doctor in Ottawa, fled her home country of Iran andwanted to do something meaningful for her86-year-old father,HeidarAliRezaiefar.

He still lives with his wifein the southwest Iranian city of Shiraz, but came to Ottawato visit his daughter.

Heidar Ali Rezaiefar lost his own father at a young age and spent most of his early life around boys and men, first attending an all-boys school, and later teaching at one.

Having daughters, he told his daughter, was a struggle. At one time he told her he was "not a good dad," she recalled.

"He said 'I didn't know what being a father was. I did the best I could, but don't know if it was enough,'"Parisa Rezaiefartold theCBC's Hallie Cotnam.

"His honesty, his acknowledgement, was worth everything for me. I forgave him that day. I forgave him because I recognized we're all doing our best as parents."

A memorizer of Persian poetry

Her surprise gift to her father is a series of enlarged prints of family photographs he took using an old Russian Lubitel 2 camera, superimposed with snippets of Persian poetry her father recited to teach her life lessons.

She said that whatever the problem was, her father had a poem for it.

When she asked him in her youth if she was pretty enough, he responded with a Persian poemthat read in part:

'When you enter the room with your goodness and virtue you bring grace to mortals
Jewels make charmers alluring
You my enchanting silver jewel render jewels alluring'

Parisa Rezaiefarwasn't sure how her father would take the surprise exhibit, or if he would react at all.

"This is a man who grew up at the end of the Second World War, he has witnessed a civil war, he has lived through a revolution, raising five kids under war. I don't think anything would surprise or faze him," she said.

But when he saw what she had done, he asked his daughter warmlyin Farsi, "Where did you get these photos?"

Exhibit this weekend

Shesaidthe effort was worth it.

"I feel relieved," she said. "I feel as if I died tomorrow, my heart would be fully achieved."

Her efforts, entitled "Ten Life Lessons I Learned from my Dad," will be on display at the Catholic Centre for Immigrants on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. and again on Sunday at 1830 Kilborn Ave.from 8-9:30 p.m.

All proceeds from the sale of prints will be donated to refugee children at Maison Sophia House, a 96-bedfacility providingtemporary accommodation and orientation to government-sponsored refugees and refugee claimants for up to fourweeks.