What money can't buy

Most of my friends and family can attest to my overly emotional side. It seems that especially as of late, I have the tendency to cry at almost any sad/happy movie, event, story, commercial... everything.

View from the auditorium... of the screen

For example, just the other day, my sister graduated high school. It was a dreary day, albeit early June, and the unfortunate weather forecast suggested downpour all afternoon- GO FIGURE. Each graduate was limited to only THREE tickets to sit in the gymnasium... So, being one of five, and the oldest, I got shafted to the simulcasted auditorium. But, alas, this wasn't MY day, it was Kelly's and she deserved her caring and supportive family there... somewhere.

And we lost audio 1/2 way through

After begrudingly agreeing to go (and dragging my eleven year old sister, Brenna, with me), we watched the overall upbeat artistic interludes and lofty - aka naiive - ambitions of the student speakers (I'll confess, I was one of them too!), and the superintendent's commencement address took on a more serious tone.


There were two lives lost during the senior class' four years, including one student who passed of a swift battle of Leukemia. reminding us (in lieu of all the family members invited that could not physically be in the room due to the weather) that there were graduates without parents here, just as there was one family without a graduate.

The superintendent invited the boy's family to speak, and I knew immediately upon seeing their faces, I'd lose it. The genuine words of the boy's father, a handsome man, were eloquent and softly delivered. He thanked his son's friends for all of the love and attention they gave his son during his quick battle. He reminded them- and all of us- to live every minute more fully, that life is too short not to. And to continue to love and remember.

And tonight, on a popular Boston sports blog (of all places!), intended entirely for pure amusement and comic relief, the blogger posted this video. If you don't cry, you don't have a soul.

So, mie amiches~ what feeds yours? What are the things that money can't ever buy for you?