Leif With Bubble Gum - Fort Sheridan, Illinois - September 1986 - Age 11

This is a photo Leif took of himself when he was eleven years old. It looks like he set it up in his bedroom. He wasn't a big gum-chewer, and we rarely saw him blowing bubbles, so maybe that's why he thought it was worth a photo. On this photo and one other, I've noticed that it looks like his left eye turns inward slightly. Funny, I never saw that before. It must have corrected itself later.

Some days are harder than others. There are days I go along feeling mostly normal, although we still talk about Leif every day, but then things hit me again and the tears flow.

Some days I am so acutely aware of all the things here in our house that were Leif's or that he gave us, or even persuaded us to buy. He had such a great influence in our lives. I don't know if we even knew how great it was until he was gone.

Then a simple photo of him blowing a bubble brings back the years of his childhood, how important he and Peter Anthony were (and are) to us each and every day. I miss him so.