Laughter

My friends and I all have problems that we would love to see resolved. But we are at an age now where we know that there is never a time when all our problems will go away, there is just sun and then rain, then sun again. We face them together, because that is what friends do. Sometimes we all wait together, huddled under our friendship umbrella, waiting for the rain to stop. Or we just go ahead out in it, splashing in the puddles, getting all wet, and laughing in spite of it.  I had a fabulous dinner with my friend Pam tonight. She has a wonderful laugh that she uses often to punctuate her stories. She faces what we all face, yet that laugh is always on the edge of her speech, aware of the silly absurdity of even the most somber moment. This gift she has always makes me happy, because it wipes away any residue of anxiety that I might face in my own life. It seems so easy to do, to laugh. It makes our souls waterproof, so that the rain does not weaken our spirit.