The Friday Five - Cue My Tears

A personal glimpse into moments that create happy tears, ugly tears and my favorite "Mom, are you really crying?" tears.

The National Anthem + a Flyover - The combo of the crowds singing, the impeccably timed “land of the freeeeeee” followed by the whoosh of the jets, and the resulting proud-to-be-an-American feeling (please come back to our country soon) gets me every time. In person attendance not required - as evidenced by me watching this video. Skip ahead to 3:10 to watch a flyover with thirty plus jets. Unreal.

Kelly Corrigan Memoirs- I recently unknowingly logged twenty plus hilly miles listening to vintage Kelly in Glitter and Glue, failing to hold back ugly tears through the neighboring downtown. What a sight I was but more importantly, what a gift her writing is. Trigger warning: young mother with cancer is a theme.

Practiced Choirs - I don’t get to hear them enough (my own fault) but when I do, I make sure tissues are in my pocketbook (I hate purses so I’ll say pocketbook like my grandmas did). The choirs can be religious or secular, my kids or someone else’s. Doesn’t matter. Look over and you’ll see me trying to hide my tears at the happiest song they sing.

Unpracticed Choirs - I go back to memories of hundreds of fellow Demon Deacons singing Silent Night by candlelight and immediately tear up. Oh - candlelight. That makes me cry, too. In the temple, I have strong memories of holding my tot and my tears while singing what should be a lighthearted Bim Bam at Tot Shabbat. My tear ducts seem to fill even faster when unpracticed and unexpected groups sing together.

Lice. Sorry. I typed it. No explanation needed. I’ve said for years, “Nothing makes me cry faster than lice.” Now, that kind of makes me laugh.

The list could go on and on as I recall the numerous times my kids have cocked their heads, raised an eyebrow and questioned, “Mom, are you really crying?” Oh boys, it doesn’t take much.

Maybe I just saw the best pic ever of my dad or adorable memory on our Aura frame, consumed an encouraging text or succumbed to a wave of gratitude for our health. My tears also come from the simplest acts like a child remembering to ask about my day or Scott offering to take care of dinner.

Some may say I’m a bit emotional (I’m practically crying who knows what kind of tears writing this). I’ll just say, I’m right where I want to be - perfectly deep in a variety of feels.

One more thing - “One Shining Moment” will air Monday, April 7, around 9:00 p.m. after the Final Four. Please don’t bother me then as I’m sure to be a complete and total mess.

ICYMI: This week, I talked about working through my latest funk. Tears may or may not have been involved.