Humorous friends

Some of my best friends are those who make me laugh. They have a good sense of humor and laugh easily.

I've also noticed that most of my friends are younger than I am. I think they keep me young by keeping me in touch with a younger way of thinking. They aren't stodgy and they like to go and do. So I tag along shopping or dining out or running around with them.

One of the friends that always cheered me up had five stair-step children, two girls and three boys. They were always in a mess of trouble. One of the girls, a preschooler, could spin the most believable yarn you ever heard. I don't know how many times that child convinced me that something was true that wasn't. I honestly believe that as the yarn took twists and turns she began to believe it herself. Her mother just laughed and went about her business of cooking mounds of enchiladas or baking a sheet cake to feed to her hungry crew. Her husband, too, was lots of fun, and dearly loved his wife and kids.

I remember once when we all went camping together. Before we even got our gear situated, one of the boys had fallen into the lake, shoes and all, and came back to camp soaking wet. All the siblings were laughing and talking in gulps as they were telling what had happened. My girlfriend, their mom, just waved her hand and told the wet one to go change, and then take care of the dog.

A short time later, her husband took a brand new lawn chair out of the camper, unfolded it, and sat down; folding his hands behind his head as he leaned back.

Immediately the metal chair, price tag attached, crumpled under his weight and bent in all the wrong places. He stood up, took the chair and slung it as far as he could into the lake. Everyone in his family just laughed at him.

Later my girlfriend was coaxed into riding a large round plywood board that my husband had made and painted white in his workshop. We called it a dish because it was shaped like a plate. You sat or stood in the middle of the dish while you held onto ropes attached to a ski boat. The trick was to ride the board while the boat pulled you along. It was a tricky thing to do without being tumbled into the water. My friend was definitely leery of the whole idea but she was game to try. I could hear her screaming all over the lake. She had sat down on the board and her bottom was bouncing like a rubber ball on the dish. When she finally landed back home, she had a few choice words to say to my husband who had piloted the boat.

She talked about that ride for years after the dish had lost its favor.

I remember another time at another lake in Washington State. I had made some round cookies that turned out as hard as a rock. You could actually bounce them against a wall. I was mortified when I realized they weren't eatable. I secretly told this same friend what I had done and explained that the cookies were no good. A short time later she asked one of her young sons if he wanted one of my cookies. He perked up and nodded yes. "Take two," she said as she held out the container of rock cookies. As he tried to bite down, she kept a straight face.

Puzzled, he tried again but the cookie wouldn't budge. It was then she burst out laughing. That's just how the family was. They laughed at and with each other every day.

They were an Air Force family and their funds were limited. My friend spent a great deal of time preparing home cooked meals for them.

But once in a while for a special treat, she would bundle all the kids into the car and take them to a nearby town for hamburgers.

Many times on Sunday nights they had a huge pan of popcorn for supper, all they wanted. And they considered that a treat too.

I had another friend, a neighbor in Mississippi County, who was a good Christian woman. She had a beautiful singing voice and often sang specials at church services.

I learned from her that a Christian doesn't have to be solemn and serious all the time.

She laughed loud and often. She liked fashion and dressed in the latest styles,

I liked to be around her because she lifted my spirits.

Sadly, she suffered a severe brain injury after she had a disastrous fall from an attic. The injury left her in a coma for many weeks.

After months of medical treatment followed by therapy, she was left with short term memory and an altered personality.

Recently someone told me they had seen my friend at a social outing and she looked as though she had stepped out of a band box. That indicates to me that she has returned to her old self.

It's true that some people who start life with a sense of humor have that humor dulled by circumstances. There's bad health, divorce, death of loved ones, financial problems, changes.

But remembering to smile, laugh, and enjoy the good times is essential.

The bible says there's a time for everything, including a time to be born and a time to die. Also, a time to weep and a time to laugh.

The bible doesn't say that Jesus told jokes. But he was a man of joy. So it stands to reason that since Jesus was the perfect man, then He had a sense of humor.

And, as God's children, so should we.

Some of my friends do have a more serious demeanor. They are loyal, supportive, trusted friend. The bonds of friendship we formed has lasted for years, through good times and bad. Those friends are to be treasured and nurtured.

They touch the heart.