Remember - Laugh!

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There are times when an old-fashioned laugh is medicine for the soul. Do you remember when a good, loud, belly laugh just felt wonderful and seemed to clear the air of deep weighty feelings; giving a fresh healthy boost to life? As I write, recollections of the past flood through my mind, and I sit with a blissful smile on my face and a respectable twinkle in my eyes. Oh, for the happy memories.

These are my boys! 

I sure do love you guys!

I cherish the above picture because life with these boys, as children, never seemed to be dull.  They are now grown men; with families of their own; all serious providers; and awesome members of society; but they still have fun together and enjoy their frolicking personalities.   

Kent, on the left back row, with his finger in Rockland's ear, entertained me with his quips. One summer day, it felt especially hot and sticky when I called to Kent from the neighbor's yard to join me for a trip to the store.  He came running across the lawn, like a rocket shot out of a cannon, jumped in the car and said, "Hurry, turn on the air conditioner so it will shave off the sweat on my face!" 

Lance, the middle man, fell victim to the encouragement of this siblings to slide down the clothes chute into the basement clothes basket.  When I retrieved him, his head and shoulders were buried in smelly, dirty clothes with legs and feet flying up-right in mid air.  He looked a little surprise by his landing and his precarious position of being upside down. The scene -- just too funny to scold anyone. 

Bryce, the man on the right, had an experimenting mind.  He decided he should be buried in the soft sand in our backyard.  He dug a large hole, jumped in feet first, and instructed his siblings to fill in the hole around him.  All seemed well, until the young brood tried to get him out.  The harder they pulled the tighter the sand cuddled him.  As their last resort, I heard the scream, "Mama!"  Oh, what to do...call the firemen, no, just start digging.  We got him out, not without feeling panic on my part, but he was out!  All thought the great adventure exciting and shared their giggles...except me.  It took time before I could enjoy the humor in the experiment.

Rockland, the man seated in the chair, with a finger in his ear, looking like he had just received a bolt of high powered electricity, took the position in our family as being the wise man with great authority. With the approaching time for a new baby to arrive, the hot topic of the household centered around baby names.  One evening, Rockland, in his eleven-year-old wisdom, stood up from the dinner table and announced, "I want everyone to know the name of our baby is Charlie!"  Had he received a revelation?  Would the name be right for the little one?  The baby did arrive and received the name of Kent Charles Draper; known in our household as "Charlie Bug."

Yes, my boys still make me laugh with their tactics; as the above picture shows.

Remember!

If you can't make it better you can laugh at it.

Erma Bombeck

A day without laughter is a day wasted.

Charlie Chaplin

Laughter is an instant vacation.

Milton Berle

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

Victor Hugo

With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.

Abraham Lincoln

What memories do you have that made you laugh?

Until the next post, have yourself a good, loud, belly laugh and enjoy the merriment.