Have  you ever “Googled” yourself?  People do it every day for the fun of it.  When Leroy died, I put a “Google” alert on his name, and from time to time I’d find nice reminders of his work in my email.  I’ve never really been able to figure out the ‘how’ or ‘why’ these become alerts, but I’m happy to see his name all the same.

It had been some time since the last “Google” alert had popped-up.  It’s been a little more than three years since Leroy died and to tell you the truth, I just figured the alerts had finally stopped.  But late last night, just as I was ready to fall asleep, I checked my email and there it was…”Leroy Sievers, Google Alert.”

I clicked to open the mail and for the next six minutes his big booming voice and that loud, deep laugh filled the room.  He was walking on the C & O Canal, he was embedded with the Third I-D in Iraq, he was being debriefed about the horrors of Rwanda and he was enjoying his 42nd birthday surrounded by happy villagers in a small liberated town outside Kosovo. 

I had a healthy, happy, hard working Leroy back in my life for almost six minutes.  It was wonderful.

 The piece was a beautiful remembrance Ted Koppel had written and Leroy’s friend, Jay La Monica had produced for “Nightline” as a tribute to Leroy. I had seen it before, but last night, it came out of nowhere.  There was no anniversary or peg for it that I knew of..it just appeared.  

A voice, an image, a gift…OH…what a gift.