Once upon a time

Once upon a time, I thought the most heart wrenching thing was to watch your mother cry. Today, I know there's something just a little worse.
Let me start by explaining some things about my kids. Beth is kinda emotional like me-a lot of the time she wears her heart on her sleeve. Lauren is a powder keg-she's very happy, very angry or very sad and it's not hard to figure out which. Paul kinda keeps his emotions under wrap most of the time. If someone is down or worried, he cracks jokes and makes others feel at ease. Upon hearing about his grandfather's death, he was worried about Grandmarty and his dad. At the church, all of the kids hugged lots of people and really made this Catholic mama proud-they remembered the prayers, when to sit, when to kneel, and how to show some respect to those around them. The girls used tissues and offered them to those around them.Paul stood strong and compassionate to his sisters.
When we arrived at the Veterans Cemetary, a huge flag was displayed by the North Little Rock Fire Department.The bagpipes started the ceremony and the guns rang loud and clear.
Then the bugles played taps. Paul still stood strong with tears running down his face. I looked to Beth and she was wiping her eyes. Lauren's eyes were overflowing.
And that's worse because I couldn't take away their sorrow-only share in it.