A heart full of tears

Wow. An emotional day for this tired old heart.

My elderly dog is letting me know very soon it will be Time for him to leave.

This evening I packed up three adorable beautiful happy children that I have provided respite care for for three years, and said goodbye to them for the last time. They dont know it's the last time. Two of them are too young to comprehend what will soon be happening, and the oldest, only five himself, knows the information, but doesnt yet understand what that really means.

Soon they will be going from their foster home to an adoptive home on the mainland. Ultimately the best thing for them, but in the process, their little hearts will go through some wrenching days and weeks, I am sure. Each of them carried with them the biggest softest stuffed animal I could find, nearly as big as they are, and I told them if they are ever feeling sad, to give their animals a hug and it would be like a hug from me.

One thing for sure, they - and I - will have so many happy memories of times we spent together.

THEN, I watched what is perhaps the most beautiful, moving, heartbreaking, uplifting movie I have ever seen: My Name is Khan. Anyone who loves humanity and has hope in their hearts will love this film. It is the love story of a Muslim man with Asperger's Syndrome and a Hindu woman. But it is much more than that. A tragedy befalls their family after 9/11, and Khan goes on a journey across America, with the trueness of his heart showing people "I am not a terrorist." I spent the last half of the movie in tears.

Whew. An emotional workout for this old stoic! Off to bed. Tomorrow is Gnarly Boy, aged fourteen and with his own challenges, and another day in the life :)