Cry Me A River

I have only seen my dad cry once and that was when he was walking me down the aisle at my wedding.

Last night, he sobbed throughout the evening.

We were celebrating his 80th birthday with his two best friends and our entire family. It was a lovely evening, filled with the sounds of piano music, laughter and deep sobs of gratitude.  The house was decorated fabulously - sheer ribbons trailing across the living room ceiling gave the room a golden glow. Balloons tied across the backyard, dad's favorite tunes from the 40s and 50s wafting throughout the house, candles glowing in every room...it was beautiful.

But the highlight was the people. Dad's friends are fun and lively...they stood up in front of the group and reminisced, told jokes and shared stories of the good ol' days.  I'm so glad I had the chance to get to know them - they are Good People.

This morning has been tough.  My sister Ann went into a slight diabetic shock and she was belligerent, obstinate and cranky. Once she finished "laying into me" for forcing her to eat something, she broke into tears. I cannot tell you how heart wrenching it is to see my blind sister standing in the middle of the kitchen, tears streaming down her face...all because I refused to give her the insulin until she drank a small glass of juice.

My mom was sitting nearby, and she too was crying. Tears because my sister is diabetic. Tears because my sister is blind. Tears because none of us can make this horrible thing any better.

I'm overwhelmed with emotion right now.