Recently we stumbled on this astonishingly wonderful letter from artist H.C. Westermann to his wife Joanna Beall Westermann in 1971.  Dear Sweety, it starts. Then he goes at it like a man with much to say. As you scan the scribbles you can imagine it all, but what you get are those scrawled hearts — love —coming through.

Perfection.

It occurs to us that Westermann’s basic approach could work as a letter of apology to break the ice after a long-ago rift where there is much to say, but too much has been said already and there really is no need. Everyone knows what happened.  The simple message that needs to come through is love, heart, I’m sorry, amidst all the unnecessary explanations.