5 Tear-Jerkers

No big surprises here--most of the following books have probably made hardier souls than me shed a tear or two. But these 5 stand out as especially heart-wrenching, some for pretty obvious reasons.

• A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks -- Oh yes, Sparks is a master of melodramatic romances, but I cried buckets reading this one since it was soon after my 15-yr-old cousin had died from complications of cancer.

• Love You Forever by Robert Munsch -- Even though this is a "children's picture book" it's really aimed more at parents. "I'll like you for always, I'll love you forever, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be". Yes Ashley, no matter how old you are, you'll always be our baby!

• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls -- The story of a boy and his dogs. Is there any more loyal creature in the world than a child's dog? "Old Dan must have known he was dying. Just before he drew his last breath, he opened his eyes and looked at me. Then with one last sigh, and a feeble thump of his tail, his friendly gray eyes closed forever." Jeezums, I couldn't even type that without crying.

• Beat the Turtle Drum by Constance C. Greene -- An unforgettable story about the friendship between two sisters, and the summer when one of the sisters dies unexpectedly. I can relate to a lot of the narrator's comments: "It's a good thing something takes over and clouds your mind when someone you love dies. It's so awful, so unbelievably awful and terrible and everything bad, that people couldn't manage otherwise, I think." And "people say such dumb things when people die. They don't realize how dumb they are. They say, 'It was God's will,' like Miss Pemberthy. That's enough to turn anyone against God. I myself don't know if I'll ever feel the same about Him. Maybe He had a very good reason for making Joss die, but I doubt it. I read a poem which says, 'Death loves a shining mark,' and I think Joss was the shining mark".

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott -- Another obvious choice, considering it's the story of the 4 March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. When I die, I would like a poem from this book read at my funeral, and also request that the song "For the Beauty of the Earth" from the Winona Ryder film version is played. Here is a snippet of the poem "My Beth": "O my sister, passing from me, out of human care and strife, leave me, as a gift, those virtues which have beautified your life. Dear, bequeath me that great patience which has power to sustain a cheerful, uncomplaining spirit.....Hope and faith, born of my sorrow, guardian angels shall become, and the sister gone before me by their hands shall lead me home."

Well, I'm off to find some tissues now!