Sometimes You Have To Laugh....Even in the Midst of It

If you've read any of the last posts, you know that our life lately has been rough.  Er.  Rougher than normal rough.  No laughing matter, frankly.  But sometimes something happens in the middle of it all that is just hilarious.

And I consider it a true gift from God.  You've gotta' laugh when you're in the middle of this or something much worse than crying will ensue!

Last Saturday was that kind of gift.  My husband and I attended a wedding.  It was really at an awkward time since my oldest three kids were set to perform in their year-end choir concert.  Complete with formal gowns, gloves, a tuxedo and a bow tie.

However, one of my husband's younger friends was getting married, and we felt that it was important to go.  So the plan was for my almost-sixteen year old to babysit, and everyone was supposed to shower and get ready to get ready.  And then I'd swoop in with an hour to spare and help everyone finish up.

So the gift of laughter first arrived within three or four minutes of being seated in the pew at the church.  My lovely, love-of-my life, wouldn't trade him in for anything, husband began nodding off.  As he is famous for.  (But this was early, even for him.)  And I started the finger poking and arm nudging routine. Funny.  My insides were a little giggly.

By the end of the ten minute service, I had poked and prodded him for at least three or four separate sleeping infractions.   Thank goodness we were in the back!

Then we went to the church gym for the lovely reception, right up my husband's alley...barbeque with all the fixin's.  He wasn't sleeping anymore!  We enjoyed the meal...it was a date, really, and we reminisced about our wedding and laughed at some things that we would change if we could do it over again.

And then we got a text from my oldest daughter.  Sweet girl could not get the dress on.  And a raging fit followed, complete with breaking glass cups.  Ugh.  I told her to not engage, go into our room and we'd be home ASAP.

Then another text.  Pictures of broken glass.  Argh.

Then another text.  I held my breath for what would be worse than intentionally broken glass.  But this text was about my boy.  Who was supposed to be in the shower during this episode.  Only he wasn't really.  He was using my new hair scissors to cut off his eyebrows.

The gift was fully unwrapped.  I laughed.  I thought about it some more and laughed harder.  By the time we got to the car, I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I was making strange noises because I couldn't catch my breath.  I laughed so hard that I had to lean on the minivan and gain my composure.

When we got home, clothing sensitivity and outrageous tantrums were in full swing.  There was no calming things down, making things better.  Getting to the concert was an exhausting, crushing event.  But once the concert started and I looked at my boy on that stage....all fancied up in his tux, fresh haircut and.....slanted eyebrows that made him look like an angry cartoon character, a warm smile crept over me.  And a tear slid down my face.