Author Description

Gertrude Stein once said, "Sometimes in our lives, if we are lucky, there is a person who says yes. That one yes can validate us for the rest of our lives." I was lucky enough to have had someone in my life who said yes. His name was Dr. Sol Dombeck. He was our family physician for five years. After he retired, Dr. Dombeck and his wife, Sylvia, moved south. For ten years he and I exchanged letters. At first, we wrote occasionally. Later, we wrote weekly. Originally, I wrote to Dr. Dombeck to ask for a referral to another doctor. That letter began a correspondence that lasted until his death. Dr. Dombeck's letters were like letters from a Jewish father. The love in his letters encouraged me to follow my dream of becoming a writer. All this while he himself was ill. Time after time I suggested we stop writing each other because I thought it might be too tiring for him to write on a regular basis. But he would hear none of it. He said that our letters gave him something to look forward to and made him feel better. Letters To A Friend is dedicated with love to the memory of this very special someone, whom I fondly call Dr. D.