Cousin Leah

This morning I was on a train headed downtown and found myself crying for no apparent reason. Later, my mother confessed that she too was crying in the morning and didn't know why. We found out later that this morning, Leah Gardner had died.

She was my mother's cousin and lifelong friend, a person I loved and who, whenever she was around, I wanted to be near.

Here is a picture of Leah with her children, Emma and Simon.