Saturday, December 11, 2021
It must have been around 1999. I walked into the house on Corona St. and saw Chris and Levi for the first time since Levi was a baby. Chris was excited to see me as I recall it. We had formed a little bit of a bond only a few short years earlier when we all lived together with Susan and John in the Corona house. They were kind enough to open their doors to me when I had no place else to go. It is the kind of people they were and still are today. Well, just before Levi saw me, he was laughing and carrying on as only a carefree child can do; big, huge eyes wide with joy and a laugh that filled the room. It was a party after all. That is until he saw Chris and I hugging it out. The laugh went silent and those big eyes of his were suddenly focused squarely on me.
You see, Levi was extremely protective of his brother and mother. He was watching me like a hawk, gauging me to see if I was a threat. He didn’t remember me. How could he? The last time he saw me he was just a baby. He eventually loosened up…a little. He never really took his eyes off me for the rest of the night. And that is the way I will always remember him: intensely protective, beyond his years, but as funny as can be once he warms up to you.
Nancy, we’ve gone through our ups and downs over all these years but I have always considered you a sister. To you and to Susan, John, Peggy, Shery, and Chris, and everyone else who loved and appreciated Levi, I am heartbroken for you. I know there is nothing I can say or do to relieve the pain and grief you all are feeling right now. But I can say that I love you all very much and will keep you in my heart. Peace be with you and also with Levi.
Love Always,
Kurtis
