I get choked up just thinking about it

I spent my Monday evening with Dad last night. He ate his cottage cheese and chicken while I snacked on trail mix. We sorted through Grandpa's mail. Somehow we got on the subject of my travels. He said, "I remember it so clearly when I left you in Chicago. God that was so hard. I get choked up just thinking about it." And as hard as it was to hear him say that, it meant the world. I never really talked to him about my Chicago experience. It was always brief. To hear him share some emotion about the time where I had probably TOO much emotion, priceless. 

But it really got me thinking, what else does Dad choke up about? And what do I get choked up about? I guess it's a trick question. Should we ask it as a past tense? "What did I get choked up about?" Or is it a general question. "What do I get choked up about on a regular basis? What makes me tear up any time?" 

So, as of right now. If someone were to ask me at this present moment what makes me emotional enough to shed a tear? I would simply reply:

Knowing that at any moment. At any given time, someone we love could be taken away from us. And there isn't a DAMN thing we can do about it.

That thought is something I just can't seem to wrap my head around in a positive way. Gets me every time.