An unexpected twist

So a few days after Swing met my parents, I got to meet his family…

His whole family…

At the hospital, after his father passed away unexpectedly.

It definitely wasn’t the most ideal way to meet his family, but they were all so very sweet and everyone mentioned how happy they were that he had me to take care of him.  They also said how nice it was to have him “back” since he had been so unhappy for so long – I guess I brought his smile back.  I overheard him telling several relatives how happy he was that we found each other and that he has a whole new life now.

The memorial service was yesterday.  I knew that would be hard – and it was.  It was hard seeing someone I love be so sad.  But it was also hard because I’m a crier (a big blubber would probably be a more accurate description).  If I see someone crying, I cry.  If I hear emotion in someone’s voice or hear them choke up on their words, I cry.  Even when I see really strong emotion (even when it’s happy), I cry.  Yes, I even cry when they crown a Miss America because of all the emotion that you see – yep, I’m just a big blubber.  The funny thing about me is that I know that I shouldn’t be crying at things, which can sometimes make me laugh.  So imagine me crying and laughing at the same time – boy I’m a mess, huh? 

So, being a big crying/laughing blubber, the simple act of attending a memorial service is not easy for me.  I took LOTS of tissues because I knew I would need them.  Plus, I did give Swing the head’s up that I would cry because that’s just what I do.  At one point towards the end, I started to cry (again) and he looked at me to ask if I was OK.  I started to laugh a bit because I knew how silly it was for me to be crying (again) and he started laughing too.  He said that I could always make him laugh… It was a very sweet moment.

We spent the whole day after the service (which was beautiful, by the way) with the family.  I fit right in so it felt really good that I was there.  We’re heading down today again for a while to visit with relatives who had come in from their hometown, so it will be a more casual get together.

This whole experience has really brought us closer in a very, very good way.  I know it was a hard way to start out 2012, but I look forward to the happy times that the rest of this year will bring. :)