And my tears fall

In a Facebook post, a fire captain wrote about his team responding to a car incident involving a pregnant woman and her three small children.

The woman had turned hysterical because she was suffering from abdominal and back pain. The two older kids were okay, but the youngest, a four-month-old, was screaming its lungs out as well.

Fire Capt. Chris Blazek brought the baby out, and after examining for injuries, carried her. As soon as the baby laid her head on his shoulder she calmed down.

Since the situation had been under control, Chris decided to sit for a while, baby in his arms. As he took a break, she fell asleep. While waiting for the mom to be transported to the hospital and the kids to be picked up by relatives, the man was reminded why he did what he did.

And my tears fell...

That's the thing... a simple dialogue in a television show or movie can make me tear up pretty quick. I end up with a red nose and droopy eyes after...

Sometimes, I don't even need to hear words to feel the sting of tears.

I can be reading a book, then come to a part which isn't totally dramatic when you read it, yet before I know it, I'm crying!

Danielle Steele is the hands-down winner when it comes to authors who can make me cry, and cry even harder when reading her books. She has never failed to make me wet the pages of her books.

A song, or just a line in a song, is also a trigger for my tears.

No, I am not a cry-baby. My threshold for pain is pretty high, and usually just wince, moan and grimace, but never shed tears because of pain. My default is usually prayer.

Cuts, sprains, bumps and even palpitations won't drive me to tears.

But show me a picture of a soldier running to embrace his boy after months of not seeing his family, and throw in a short story, and I will tear up.

I'm not particular about which words can activate my lachrymal glands.

And yes, when I am extremely angry and hold in all the tension bubbling inside of me (for fear I will regret saying anything to anyone), I will instead let out copious tears.

I can't remember how many times I've sniffled after reading some Facebook post, or dashed away tears from my cheeks because I saw some real feel-good story in the news.

So, what moves me?

Words do. And pictures, too. Both still and moving. I never know what can set off the tears.

There are times when my thoughts are already filled with something very emotional so even a word or line from anywhere will make me cry.

Other times a memory will link with the present and I'll find myself tearing up.

I do need a good cry every now and then. Just to purge all the heaviness in my head and heart. And I don't much like such times because it leaves me with a very clogged nose and struggling to breathe.

Being extremely frustrated with people also gets me going. It's a release I need just to calm me down.

On the afternoon before my late sister breathed her last, I broke down beside her bed in ICU. I remember we were praying the Rosary, when suddenly I just could not hold back the tears.

We were simply waiting for her to let go, having been resigned to the fact that she would not survive from the massive stroke she suffered.

But after that breakdown, and even until her casket was lowered to the ground, no tears fell. Somehow, I credit my sister for that. She made us feel she was truly ready, and that we had to be happy for her. So, no more tears.

I did break down a year later on the exact day of the week when I found her lying on the floor after she collapsed from the stroke.

It was the memory of finding her as if she'd just fallen asleep on the ground, yet knowing she would never wake that shook me.

I cry at funerals. Sometimes, I cry at weddings, when it's nothing overly pomp and some heartfelt scene just played in front of me.

My voice cracks when leading a prayer before many people, and I sometimes have to blink away tears threatening to spill.

A couple in a warm embrace filled with longing and devotion will make me sniffle more than a deep kiss will do.

I really can't tell when my tears will fall, what will make my eyes water, or make me suck in my breath to hold a teardrop at bay.

Perhaps it's because I always try to be strong in the face of trials and hardships that makes crying over little, seemingly inconsequential stuff a release for me.

I have not, and cannot break down in the midst of a crisis. I need to focus all my energy into getting things done so crying is out of the question.

Once all the important stuff is handled and taken cared of, then I am free to let all pent-up emotions just come out.

And my tears fall...

Photos: Unsplash