Almost a year ago I went to a conference on Forgiveness for family of murder victims.\u00a0 It was an amazing experience and I learned so much and a few things I hadn’t expected.\u00a0 I came in straight from work across the city a few minutes late and everyone was seated for dinner.\u00a0 So I picked the closest chair trying not to be too obvious.\u00a0 I had been looking forward to this conference but between house, kids, work and my Mom I hadn\u2019t had time to really look at the brochure.\u00a0 They were all going around the tables identifying themselves and adding a descriptive word to their name.\u00a0\u00a0 I had about 10 seconds, or at least it felt like it, to decide my name and description.\u00a0 My mind was blank.\u00a0 The man that I was sitting beside quickly said, \u201cLaughing Lisa\u201d.\u00a0 And I laughed.\u00a0 How did he know?\u00a0 I had never met this man.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t realize at the time that he was one of the speakers and in fact all three speakers were sitting at my table.\u00a0 How did this man see right through me in about 30 seconds?<\/p>\n
Nicknames have never really stuck with me, thankfully.\u00a0 My Grandma T. called me her \u201cLittle Lamb\u201d as a baby but that was the last nickname I\u2019ve had.\u00a0 But Laughing Lisa has stuck with me personally for the last year.\u00a0 It reminds me how important laughter and joy are even in the tough times.\u00a0 My laughter is not always out of pure joy.\u00a0 Sometimes it is to cover up anxiety, nervousness and even pain.\u00a0 But for about a year it was even hard to laugh through the pain.\u00a0 And this man gave me these words at the right time because the months ahead were only going to get more and more difficult closer to my Mom\u2019s death.\u00a0 I needed the reminder to keep joy and laughter in my life.\u00a0 And I am grateful to him.<\/p>\n
In high school people knew where I was in the school because they could hear me laughing.\u00a0 And some people only knew me because of my laugh.\u00a0 Now as an adult I get complimented on my laugh and told that it is very contagious.\u00a0 I always say if you think mine is good you should hear my kids.\u00a0 They have the best belly laughs.<\/p>\n
I come by my laugh very honestly.\u00a0\u00a0 Both my Mom\u2019s and Dad\u2019s side of the family love to laugh.\u00a0 My Grandma T. believed in the health of laughter.\u00a0 She believed fully in having a belly laugh a day to stay healthy.\u00a0 So if she hadn\u2019t had her laugh for the day she would call her sister and they would tell German jokes until they were in tears.\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s just say the first time in my lifetime she had so much as a cough I was married and had a child.\u00a0 Maybe she was on to something.<\/p>\n
My Mom continued the theory of laughter with my sister and me.\u00a0 Even when she was sick over her last year and a half we laughed about most things.\u00a0 She just kept saying, \u201cIf we don\u2019t have humor now what do we have?\u201d\u00a0 I think it kept her sane during some very dark days.\u00a0 The first time Mom was in the hospital she had a roommate that was a gift from God.\u00a0 She was amazing.\u00a0 The doctors came one day and told my Mom that her situation was not looking good.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know what or if they could do anything for her.\u00a0 Unfortunately, she was alone at the hospital at the time, which upset me.\u00a0 But one of the nurses told Mom\u2019s roommate to keep Mom laughing.\u00a0 She was going to need it.\u00a0 So she made it her mission and I have to say she succeeded.\u00a0 The nurses wanted to be in their room.\u00a0 It was so cheerful and so peaceful.\u00a0 Everyone noticed how \u201cgood\u201d it felt in that room on the 7th<\/sup> floor.\u00a0 Mom\u2019s attitude was amazing for her condition.\u00a0 And her condition improved over those 5 weeks.\u00a0 She had a new resolve.\u00a0 The surgery took care of the tumors but the laughter took care of her mind.<\/p>\n From the time she got home from the hospital until she passed away humor was very important to her.\u00a0 We joked about everything.\u00a0 Something negative we made it smaller by making fun of it.\u00a0 Like colostomy bags.\u00a0 Nurses, like \u201cThe General\u201d, that were less than perfect, chemo, loss of hair, morphine.\u00a0 She even made us laugh while we discussed her funeral wishes. \u00a0Oh do I have stories to tell and I will tell them.\u00a0 The home care workers had the same reaction as the nurses.\u00a0 They all wanted to be at my Mom\u2019s.\u00a0 It was so peaceful.\u00a0 It was rare that my Mom didn\u2019t have a joke or a funny story to tell.\u00a0 My Mom was joking with everyone till the evening before she went into a light coma the day before she died.\u00a0 She was hardly able to open her eyes or speak more than a few words but she could wink, smile or make a quick snide remark.<\/p>\n So I have to ask myself, if she could make people laugh and feel good as she lay dying in a hospital bed in her living room.\u00a0 What reason do I have to not laugh through whatever comes?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Almost a year ago I went to a conference on Forgiveness for family of murder victims.\u00a0 It was an amazing experience and I learned so much and a few things I hadn’t expected.\u00a0 I came in straight from work across … Continue reading