tissue, please

We decided that it was time for a family outing to the movie theater over Christmas, and as Matt and Molly had been listing to "Marley and Me" on CD on the way out here, that's what we opted for.

I should have known I was ill prepared when a woman at the counter said she'd seen it the night before and that we should take tissues.

Well, I had tissues. Two of them, one of which I gave to my mom.

Which wound up being horribly inadequate for an hour and a half of tears dripping off my face.

I cried like a little kid. I cried almost as much as I cried the day Matt and I had to put down our dog, Frisky.

Mom was sobbing next to me. Molly (tissueless) was sniffling into her scarf on the other side of Matt. The theater was full of sniffling, sobbing, sappy people. I never was so glad to be surrounded by crybabies in my life -- I didn't want to be the only softie crying my eyes out over a loyal, trouble-making, adorable yellow lab and his fourteen years with his family.

The movie ended, and we went home, where Molly immediately went downstairs to pet Tacori. I went to the back room to tell Charlie that he's a wonderful dog and to scratch his ears for a while.
It was a great movie, whatever the bitter AP film critic said. "It should be called 'New Yeller,'" someone else opined.

Not quite. Not nearly. Yeller was in his own well-deserved category of tear-jerker, and Marley was not Yeller. At least, I didn't think so ...

I had to laugh (a very little bit -- it sounded like a sob-choked hiccup) when John has to take Marley to the vet when he first starts to show signs of not being well. He very passionately explains to the vet - who has just told him that most dogs don't survive this type of illness - that this is not an ordinary dog; that the this dog once sat up all night with to his sick son, just watching over him; that he once ate an entire answering machine -- he didn't just chew on it, he ATE it. She nods and admits that he may pull through it after all.

I haven't read the book, and I'm told that the movie (as expected) left out some critical portions of the story ... so I think I'm going to have to read it now.

All of that to say this:

If you need a warm fuzzy of a movie, I think I found it for you. Just make sure you take more than two tissues. And cuddle with your dog afterward.