He Who Laughs ... Lasts

Laughter is an instant vacation.

~ Milton Berle

I laughed like I haven't laughed in years. I laughed long. I laughed hard. I did not laugh alone. I spent yesterday with my cousin (who has always felt like a sister to me) and her family.

My aunt is 86 years old. My uncle is 90. When my aunt heard that my cousin and I were going to drop by for a visit after our coffee date yesterday, my aunt turned around and invited us (and her whole family) for a turkey supper. Her impromptu invitation filled a 'table for twelve'.

My cousin & I laugh together, like I laugh with no one else.  Every memory that I have with this family involves laughter. The story telling gets better with age. As far as I know, the tales are not embellished as the years evolve.

The stories have been told so many times and with such great emotion and detail, that there are times (so I heard yesterday) where the 'owner' of the story is up for debate. "That is my story!" says one cousin to another. "She does this all of the time. She has heard me tell the story so many times that she thinks it is her story!" Laughter fills the room as they duke it out (verbally) over the true ownership of the story.

I sat back and watched the dynamics between my cousin and her husband and immediately felt that she must have fallen in love with his sense of humor. They laugh together. He turned the mundane task of buying pop into a humorous anecdote. And that was just the beginning...

This is a family where material possessions and lavish holidays hold no priority. It is all about making a house a home and gathering their family together to make memories and make those memories last.

My aunt and uncle are in good health. There was no talk of illnesses, loss and the despair that so many people are feeling these days. Conversation was uplifting and the company was great. As I looked at my aunt and uncle, I would have never guessed their ages. Laughter is keeping them youthful at heart and as healthy as their bodies allow.

It was a day that I will remember forever. A day where I was enveloped in laughter ... spent with a family that means the world to me.

These are days we will never get back. Spend them wisely. Reach out to a friend or a family member and laugh together. You won't regret it.

Seven days without laughter makes one weak.

~ Mort Walker