Because I don’t really bother to keep my First Life and Second Life separate, it seemed fair to offer the reason why I haven’t really had my head on straight inworld for a while now.

Leah gets lei’d at Maui Kahului Airport in September, 2007

Leah Sharron Gibbs, nee Green, age 70, beloved wife for 50 years and best friend of Sheldon. Loving mother of David (Virginia), Daniel, Mitchell (Gloria) Gibbs. Cherished grandmother of Melissa, Joshua, Jennifer and Naomi. Dear sister of the late Seymour Green. Devoted daughter of the late Abrasha and Udasha. Fond sister-in-law of Norma and Bill Brown. Loving aunt of many nieces and nephews. Long time teacher at Serena Hills School in Chicago Heights, IL. Member of B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom. Services Thursday, 11 A M. at B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom, 1424 183rd Street, Homewood. Interment Shalom.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her name to the Cancer Support Center, 2028 Elm Road, Homewood, IL 60430 would be appreciated.

Leah was my second mom. Not my backup mom, or my spare mom, but my co-equal mom. When my own mother died several years ago, Leah was there for me. When her cancer recurred a couple of times in the last decade, we (me and my husband David, my Rock) were there for her. This last time, she announced she was done with doctors pushing her around and drugs making her feel worse than the disease did. She lost ground gradually starting at New Year’s, and it was a slow, terrible march to the borderlands of the Undiscovered Country.

This last week was both the fastest, and the slowest, in the history of human life. But for Leah it finally ended when she crossed the border yesterday, and for the rest of us our new, Leah-less life began.

The picture was taken in 2007, when Leah and my father-in-law Shelly joined us in Maui to help me celebrate a big, fat, round birthday. As she hated being photographed, I was overjoyed to find this one in my back-catalog of travel pictures.