Love... Actually

You have to do these things at Christmas.

It's line rom the movie "Love Actually".

The movie is a phenomenal ensemble piece about love at Christmas time. I looks at all kinds of love. Friends, lovers, parents, siblings.... the old the young.... unrequited... you name it - it's in there.

I watched this movie with my best friend Thursday night. It's fairly old. He warned me in advance that I would cry. and I did. We both did.

One of the story lines is about a sister and brother. She's his caretaker and he's in a home. She is madly in love for nearly 3 years with a man in her office. She is always fielding calls from her brother throughout the movie. In this story line, which ends fairly quickly, she gives up the man she is in love with because of her family situation.

You cannot imagine the tears from both of us. It was heart wrenching - not completely applicable but we both see enough of the similarities that it struck a chord.

You see, he believes he is out of the doghouse with his brother. For whom he cared for for 5 years, 4 months 2 weeks and 12 hours. In doing so sacrificed himself.

When he left on the 13th hour, His brother accused him of "abandoning" him. Since August. And he received a birthday and Christmas card from him. When he announced this fact to me, we both fell to tears and held each other crying.

So when we watched this movie together, the sobbing - from both of us - was unbelievable. And it's a happy movie in the end really.

It was a really touching thing and opened a new door for us too in a way.

Because.... you have to do these things because it's Christmas.....