My dad, at 81, lives in the Alaska Pioneers' Home now--he'd started leaving the house in the middle of the night--think an elderly man out on an Alaska night in nothing but underwear and socks. We're not sure any longer whether he even knows who we are. But he can still play a few tunes on the harmonica, and in fact, until about a year ago, could still play along when my brother at the guitar and my nephew at the piano were jamming, just improvising.

I'm like many of you--not only am I sad about my dad, but I also think dark thoughts whenever I can't think of a word or forget whether I took my vitamins yesterday. It's important to keep learning--that's just what I'm doing.