The sound of laughter. Don't you miss it?
I grew up in an extended family of happy people. My Dad was famous for telling "Dad" jokes that made everyone around him groan. And his eight siblings all had the same, rather dry sense of humor.
Even the family of my very strait-laced mother knew how to laugh. The giggles emanating from her siblings when they all got together was music to the ears.
My children inherited a well-developed sense of humor from both sides of their families. I remember their Dad laughing so hard at some silly thing or other that his face turned beet red and he nearly lost his breath.
My kids loved to try to make me laugh. There was the time when our old farmhouse had about an inch of water on the basement floor from the snow melt leaking in. One of my daughters descended the stairs from her bedroom, dressed in swimwear, complete with flippers on her feet. Her remark: "Will you please light the wood stove in the basement? I invited my friends over for a pool party and I promised them the water would be warm."
Another daughter would call me from school on her lunch hour to tell me the joke of the day.
I still hear laughter generated by my kids. My son loves to tell me about funny things his kids have said or done or about his dog being on high alert for mailmen, Amazon delivery drivers, neighbors out walking and especially about the presence of bunnies and squirrels. All of which is guaranteed to bring a smile to my face.
Some of my best memories of my oldest son are those times he made me laugh. Like walking into my kitchen, empty coffee mug in hand, saying, "Just give me coffee and nobody has to get hurt."
But I have to wonder what happened to most of the rest of the world around me.
Granted, the world is a hot mess. There is so much going on in our country alone that there isn't room to list all of it here. But beyond that, so many are now "offended" at any reference to anything they don't like that I think they have forgotten how to laugh.
We need to remember how to laugh at the silliness and especially at the absurdity of things we see and hear. A good friend of this blog said that if we don't laugh, we will end up screaming!
True, that.
There are WAY too many folks just sitting around, waiting to be offended by ... well, anything. (And since I can't sign in - browser issues - Rev. Paul sends.)
ReplyDeleteRev. Paul...Seems to me the perpetually offended just suck the joy out of life. My advice? Get over yourselves. Go smell a rose. Go pet a puppy. Enjoy this marvelous world God gave us. And I really wish they would leave me alone to enjoy the time I have left.
DeleteSoapbox going back into the corner now. Good to hear from you. Pray all is well.
Our family of 14, always laughing, we said our two sons could make a living doing stand up comedy. Last Sunday even my husband said it was like everyone had a black cloud hanging over them. No worries that I know of, but the sadness. :(
ReplyDeleteSeems like sometimes we have to look really hard for something to laugh about. I have to admit that I was not laughing when my rent was increased this month or when my grocery bill is so much higher than even a year ago. But looking around, I have so much to be happy about - healthy kids and grands, two great-grands joining the family - and I woke up this morning. At my age, that's a plus! Keep smiling!!
DeleteAnd the art of (humorous) story telling seems to have been lost. I had an uncle that tippled more than a bit. Late one night, he was walking the seven miles along the highway home. A local minister gave him a ride and decided to give a little morality sermon beginning: "Leonard, you are on the road to Hell". "Well Reverend, you're driving". After nearly forty years after he died, people still remember and tell and laugh at it again.
ReplyDeleteDon...The family stories are just as important as keeping track of the statistics of a family. Especially the stories laced with humor. For instance, my oldest son informed me that the hole in the window was his sister's fault because she ducked when he threw the yo-yo at her. And he was sorry that he lost his new glasses, which he hated. They appeared in the flower bed where he had buried them. The story about your uncle is wonderful. We need these memories to keep us on an even keel.
ReplyDelete