The Man of Steel Made me Cry

I'm workng late shifts this week so I tempted the anger of the Netflix gods and rented a PPV (Pay Per View) movie. Superman Returns to be precise. Well, it was very formulaic and just as I had hoped, great special FX, no really deep plot lines, and a villian you love to hate.

But that is not why it got me writing. I'm telling you this because one man of steel made another one cry. I'm not talking a sob or a weep, I mean a fullout box of hankies howl followed by the big nose blowfest. If you haven't seen the movie, too bad, 'cause 2 parts of the story came together in a way I was absolutely NOT expecting.

The first is what really hurt me and made me cry like a little kid for the first time in almost a year. Superman was badly injured by Kryptonite while saving the world (no surprise there) and wound up unconscious in the hospital (stick with me on this) with the obligatory heart/pulse O2/Respiration monitor beating in the background. Then while he is laid up Lois Lane visits him and tells the comatose SM that he's a daddy! Yep! SUPERBOY (5yrs old in movie time). BUT, before she tells him this little nugget she leans in close, wipes away tears and starts to monologue, "I don't know if you can hear me, they say people can still here when they are like this...." and the heart monitor flutters and skips a beat.

I just lost it!

Last February 21st my Dad died from complications related to a genetic disorder we are blessed with. Before he died Dad was unconscious for a time but my sisters, my mom and I spoke to him often and he'd respond to our voices and our touch. When the time came and his Rabbi told him, "John, it's time" my fathers heart rate climbed as if he was saying no, I'm not done yet. But we knew it WAS time so we each took his hand, thanked him for being the best Dad ever, and assured him we would be okay. The Rabbi told Dad, "You've done well, raised a good family, it's time for you to rest, John, it's okay, it's time". I leaned in close, kissed Dad goodbye and held his hand until he was finally at peace. It broke my heart like nothing before.

As I tried to pull myself together so did the now stronger SM. He leaves the hospital (flying, of course), slips into his new son's bedroom and watches his boy sleeping, just as I've done to the Bairn many times before and I know my Dad did with me. Then, as if Dad was talking to me through, of all things a DC Comic character, SM quietly told his sleeping son;
"you will never be alone,"
"you will make my strength your own,"
"you will see my life through your eyes,"
"your life, I will see through mine,"
"a son becomes a father, a father becomes a son"

I love my Dad and I miss him very much. I just wanted you to know.