Always Laugh When You Can.

My Momma is amazing.  She has always been her own woman, a tower of strength physically and emotionally and a soft spoken warrior when the requisite situation arose. Petite, blue eyed, blond and beautiful, many a man has been surprised at her knowledge of carpentry, plumbing, finance and politics.  She is savvy and understated - a deadly combination if your are negotiating with her.

My sister and I inherited her work ethic and ingenuity, if not her quite demeanor, and the older we get, the more we appreciate her genetic gifts and her maternal skills. 

For almost seven decades, Momma enjoyed excellent health, but in the last couple of years she become all too familiar with physicians, hospitals, physical therapy, pharmacies and the wonderful world of Medicare.  Thankfully, as I remind her often, her illnesses, while quite serious have all been of a manageable and/or curable nature.  It reminds me of that old southern saying, "If your problems can be solved with money, you don't have any problems,"  but I digress, AGAIN.

Anyway, Momma's new health status created some changes for all of us but some of those changes have been for the better.  My sister and I talk to each other more often and the bond between us is stronger than ever.  While others may come and go, sisters are the only girlfriends that you will have from cradle to grave. And I see Momma and my sister more often now (they live in the same town), even if it is to go to doctor appointments. 

In fact, the last trip to a doctor is why I am writing this post now.  Momma's appointment this time was in Macon, halfway between my house and where they live, so we took the opportunity to spend that day together.  It was also the day before my sister's birthday so she got to make all the decisions about where we would shop, visit and most importantly EAT.   

We talked and teased each other as we always do, but all day we laughed more, and harder, and louder than I ever remember. You know that kind of  nearly hysterical laughter when you can't catch your breath and you think you might wet your pants?  It was like that.  I loved every minute and although I was bone tired and ready to get to my bed, when it came time to go our separate ways, my heart nearly broke.  I didn't want it to be over. 

Then this morning I stumbled upon this quote from Lord Byron and it seemed to sum up that lovely day so well that I just had to share.

Always laugh when you can.  It is cheap medicine. - Lord Byron