It Brings Back Memories...

It's 7am. I've been up for an hour. Last night was the finale of 'ER', and the nostalgia forced me to watch. I haven't caught an episode since the main cast left; regardless, the episode brought back a flood of memories.

The show started in my freshman year of college. I remember watching it with my sometimes roommate and always best friend Shaggy. I can see us sitting on our college couch: green; plaid; ripped & ragged. I remember how grown up we all seemed to feel after watching it along with 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld'. I recall how we used to complain about it when we wanted to go to the bars, but nobody would come out because they had to catch the latest episode. It brought back a lot of memories. Some were unexpected...

If you didn't catch it, one of the plot lines included the ole' stand-by, tear-jerker where an expectant mother has complications during childbirth and her life hangs in the balance. The specifics of this ER version was the mom and dad already had a hanful of kids... had originally just decided to see what happens, but were now extremely grateful to be having the latest child... but, if they didn't get pregnant, it would have been no big deal as they were already a family.

After the birth, the new child is handed to Dad, everyone's happy, mom starts having issues, everyone start attending to the mother as they leave the dad all alone with his beautiful new child. As they leave, they tell the dad not to worry... everything will be fine. But what's happening to my wife? Why are you all so intense if this isn't any big deal? What aren't you telling me? The final straw.. for me at least... the dad still doesn't know the status of his wife and his children finally make it to the hospital. While happy to see their new sibling, one child asks dad, "Where's mom?"

Needless to say, that hit really close to home and has got me thinking... remembering... grateful.