Hillary Cutter Photography

Credit: http://littlemisslucia.livejournal.com/

"Did you hear the nanny story?" my friend asked as we were assisting at a wedding on a grey Friday evening on October 26th, 2012 before Hurricane Sandy hit New York. I laughed it off. "Nanny story?"

The news cycle in New York is always filled with unlikely stories; stories that will break your heart or leave you gasping, like the elevator story, or the arson that occurred next to where I worked, or even the most recent horror story of the crippling motorcycle escapades. But you are usually able to flip the channel. To move past the Post headlines or tweets without shaking up your day too much, unfortunately.

But this story continues to break my heart over and over and over again, even an entire year later. There are days when I think of the mother, who had to witness the unfathomable, and wonder how she continues on. Or the sister, Nessie, who survived, and hope she has a painless future. Or the dad, coming home from his business trip that Thursday night, and pray he is able to sleep.

I've never mourned for a stranger before hearing about the Krim family, or cried in the frozen food aisle as "Ho Hey" played throughout the grocery store. I've woken up countless mornings and been overwhelmed by complicated emotions since October 25th. How do you mourn for people you've never met? It all seems a bit silly. But as I read the mother's blog, or listened to the song "Daughters" that Kevin Krim so eloquently wrote about, I felt more connected to their story than I'd thought possible, or, acceptable.

http://littlemisslucia.livejournal.com/

Lulu and her little sister Nessie. http://littlemisslucia.livejournal.com/

http://littlemisslucia.livejournal.com/

The Krim's are rebuilding their future by looking for "signs" of Leo or Lulu throughout their days, as detailed by their Mom, Marina, who said she stumbled on clues she knew were from her kids. I've never believed in that sort of thing. Angels. Clues. Messages from beyond. It seemed, well, silly. But, as it goes, when I was least expecting it last October, I walked right past a "clue" of my own. Marina said after losing Lulu and Leo she walked past a spray painted stencil on the sidewalk that said "In the pursuit of magic." Ah, what a phrase. I didn't know where she saw it within New York, but since attaching to the Krim family and their stories of magic, I've seen three scattered throughout the city. Tonight, when walking through the West Village on the dreadful day of their terrible murders, with them heavy on my heart, I found my fourth clue. I cried right there on the sidewalk without an ounce of shame. It seems like Lulu and Leo are everywhere, if we're all just open to it.

And the clues continue. When I'm busy shuffling through my ipod as I walk home, I'll run into an apartment building called The Leo House on the same block as a restaurant named "Lulu & Me"

I'll see streaks of "L" written in the sky, or think of their family whenever the clouds look like the ones below over the Hudson:

Hopefully the clues will constantly continue for their family as they attempt to heal, and that the love the Krim's share in honor of Lulu and Leo will reach everyone who needs the magic.

If you want to check out the mom's blog, please visit here: http://littlemisslucia.livejournal.com/

If you want to hear about the art fund created in their memory, here you go: http://lululeofund.org/