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Portrait Stories6 min read

Letters

Susan's item is a stack of letters from her grandmother.

Here is her story:

What I would save are letters from my grandma that we started writing to each other when the Covid shutdown began. She was extremely social and it killed me thinking that she wasn’t able to leave her assisted living room anymore to go eat, play bridge, swim, and everything else she normally did with all her friends there. Let alone have us or anyone visit.

Every day I sent a letter with questions about her life (because she lived an incredible one) and the girls would draw a picture or make some kind of artwork and we’d mail it to her so she’d have something to look forward to and also something to do while she was stuck in her room. Eventually we were able to smuggle an iPhone to her and teach her to FaceTime which allowed her to video chat with not just us, but her entire family across the country. But these letters detailing her childhood that I’d never known before will always be a reminder of her that I will keep and treasure.

Written by

Larry Lourcey

Plano-based portrait artist and photographic educator. Larry's work ranges from quiet black-and-white studies to vibrant gallery pieces — and the occasional essay from the studio.

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