The Gift of Laughter

The other day, my mom stopped in for a surprise visit after taking my sister to a rehab nearby. Knowing that this could be the last time that I'll see her so vibrant and upbeat made for a bittersweet time together. I watched her as she laughed with my boys. I watched as she held my little girl. I watched as she played with Johnathan. The smile on her face was so sincere. So happy. I just had to watch. I had to watch her and memorize her smile. I wanted to carve that time into my mind before life could wear it away. I remember telling myself to quit because it was morbid and weird, but then I did it even more intently. I took pictures of her with all of the kids and realized that they could be the last photos of her before she loses her hair. The boys were filled with questions about their Nana's sickness and what treatment will be like. When she mentioned the hair loss they didn't skip a beat and she joked about gluing on her fallen eyebrows and getting a fancy wig. I saw in that moment that I get my need to laugh in the face of adversity from her. I'm grateful for that, both because her ability to laugh at the situation is a gift and because laughing has saved me from being swallowed whole by life's disasters, too.