Dear Dad,

I’m so proud of you! I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this incredible gift for painting. Or, perhaps, Alzheimer’s unlocked this gift just as it took others away.

Your paintings seem to surprise you, too. I love the expression on your face in the picture—-a smirk that suggests a part of you can’t believe you re-created a “Virginia Sunflower.”

I imagine you saying, “Look what I did, Gal!” Of course, I recall saying the same thing to you hundreds of times, “Look what I did, Dad!”

Beau, we’ve been surprising each other for 46 years. And today, you’ve proved that Alzheimer’s can’t change that!

Love,

Gal