Leif and Minouche - Hanau, Germany - May 1979 - Age 3

Leif and cats seemed to have a natural affinity for each other from the beginning of his life. He was always drawn to them. His love of cats was one of the recurring themes in his life, and it was probably a great sadness to him when he could no longer have them as pets when he developed asthma that was worsened by cat dander.

These are the last photos of Leif from our visit to the Fackrells in Hanau, Germany in May 1979. My friend Lili Fackrell had a beautiful big Siamese cat named Minouche. After our afternoon of visiting Romberg Castle and playing at the Hanau Bird Sanctuary, Leif needed a bath before he went to bed. To our surprise, Minouche seemed to think it was his job to watch or "supervise." He stayed perched right there on the toilet seat cover during Leif's bath, much to Leif's delight. You can certainly see how happy he was to have Minouche there.

We can never bring back those precious, priceless days when our children were young. I am thankful for the photos and the memories every day of my life.