Sunday, January 3, 2010

my father wrote this letter to God, November 2006


We were in Dr. Scarmeas's (his Alzheimer's doctor) waiting room, and I was grading papers.  Since my father used to love writing words, rhyming words, and playing with language, I asked him if he wanted to write something.  "Sure," he said.

I handed him a tablet and pen.  He asked what he should do.  "Anything you want," I said.

He wrote for a while.  When he finished writing, my father tucked these pages into the tablet.

I asked what he'd written and if I could read it. He said, "It's a letter." "It's to God," he said and handed over the pages.

I guess the visit to the synagogue the day before this day gave him something to think about. He said he wouldn't give the letter to a rabbi, though - he didn't think a rabbi had a direct line to God. 

I told him I'd save the letter.

My father said "Sure" when I asked if I could show the letter to the doctor and to the resident who was sitting in on the appointment. So I'm taking the liberty of showing it here.

I asked about the closing: "A. Zever. " He smiled and said, "As ever."

2 comments:

FRIA said...

Your father sounds like a humble man, who can still see the humor in life.

Susan said...

Thanks for your comment. Yes indeed, a humble man...it's gotten him into trouble, I'd say. No matter his Alzheimer's, his humor remains - and charms people.