Leah used to affectionately refer to me as “TV Sarah”. She had many Sarah’s in her life (the nerve!), so it was a clear way to distinguish which one she was talking about, but being an actor and having moved to Los Angeles, she also couldn’t wait to see me on TV. Although she never got the opportunity to finally see me on TV, her life and her story have made its way to the big (and small) screen.
As I read through some of her old posts, and as I write this now, I’m filled with emotion, which surprises me. Leah has been part of my life for over two decades now, after originally meeting while working at Sea Corp. Seeing the face of an otherwise healthy 33 year old is… weird. She had so much more life to live. I like to hope that through my storytelling her life continues on.
In 2019 I made an animated short film called Dragonfly. It’s based on the unbelievably true story that our now mutual friend Celine had told me one day while we were visiting Leah’s bench. Maybe you’ve heard the story, maybe you haven’t. It is truly quite remarkable. One year after Leah’s passing Celine decided to celebrate the life of this amazingly generous person. Her and her family survived a scary car accident which gave her a new perspective on life. As I sat on Leah’s bench listening to Celine tell the story I knew it needed to be shared. I was amazed, shocked, dumbfounded. And to be quite honest, I was immediately curious how I could turn this story into something that more than just a select few could benefit from. While Celine’s story might be unique, it certainly isn’t rare at its core. How often have we had a moment where we thought, “Someone is definitely looking out for me.”?
Since then, that movie has been turned into a children’s picture book, Leah Is A Dragonfly Now, available worldwide on August 6, 2024. It took almost four years to adapt, with many stops and starts, and clearly the timing was meant to be.
Ever since I made the movie, and when people have found out about the book, I am always being told other people’s dragonfly stories or encounters. “I just saw a dragonfly the other day and had to tell you!” is a phrase I hear often. It makes me smile. It reminds me there are dragonflies out there even when I don’t see them.
Once we become aware of something, we notice it around us all the time. I now see dragonflies everywhere: on tv, in movies, on people’s t-shirts. This is why I don’t find the recent dragonfly migration in Rhode Island a coincidence. Their migration? Annual. Their timing? Earlier than usual. Flying so low? Rare. It happening while I was home, while the book was getting ready to be published? Leah saying thank you.
All too often we lose loved ones only to wonder where they’ve gone and if we’ll ever see them again. In Leah Is A Dragonfly Now, as well as when we see dragonflies in life, we are reminded that loved ones never truly leave our side. When you read the book, I hope you recall those moments when you realize someone was definitely watching out for you, too.
What’s your dragonfly story? I’d love to know who you’ve lost and how you’re still surrounded by them. What signs do you see that remind you of them?
If you’d like, please follow @leahthedragonflybook on Instagram or go to www.leahthedragonflybook.com for more information. You can order a copy of the book at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.
