Thursday, July 31, 2008

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Camille doing her circus trick with Dado

I love to laugh. Who doesn't? I was writing to my friend Britt today, whose son Daxton is with Camille. They returned Home within a week of each other. In my email, I noted how serious I sound in my writing. I guess I am serious as opposed to silly. Jonathan is the silly one in our relationship.  But I do think I am kind of funny in person. Well, at least I make myself laugh. I just haven't had so much to laugh about lately. 

I am needing a good laugh or two. So this is a call for good CLEAN (G rated) jokes or funny true stories. I will start by sharing one of my all time favorites of each. First a joke: 

One night I had a dream that I died and went up to heaven. I was in line to enter the pearly gates and there behind me was my good friend Bob.  I got up to the front of the line and there was St. Peter waiting for me. He took me in and said, "Stephanie, you have done some good things in your life and some bad things. You can come into heaven but you will have to pay for the bad things you have done." I admitted my weaknesses to St. Peter and agreed to whatever punishment needed to be taken. Then he opened a door and in walked the ugliest most annoying guy I had ever seen. I was embarrassed even to look at him.  St. Peter introduced him as Chuck. He then said the two of us were to walk arm in arm together for eternity. I cringed at the thought of my punishment. Chuck shyly walked over and took my arm in his and off we went. 

A while later I saw my good friend Bob walking along. Now Bob and I had some good times in life together and I knew him pretty well. Imagine how surprised and upset I was when I saw Cindy Crawford on him arm. I headed directly for St. Peter to complain. "What is the deal?" I asked. "He was just as bad as I was and he gets Cindy Crawford?" St. Peter looked over at Bob and Cindy and put his arm around me. Then he gently whispered to me, "Don't you think that Cindy has to pay for her sins too?"

Now for a true funny story: My Grandma Harris was always a source for great funny stories. She lived to be 99 and had pretty severe dementia in those later years. The older she got, the less inhibited she became. You just never knew what crazy thing she was going to say. 

One day when Jon and I were just friends I went with his family to help them do baptisms for the dead at the temple. We walked into the baptistry and there in one of the pews was my Grandma. She was about 96 at this time.  I was shocked to see her and went over and gave her a hug. Then I introduced Jon and his mother Kathleen to my grandmother. My grandmother took Kathleen's hand and pulled her down to her face. 

"OH NO!" I thought. "What is Grandma going to say to her?" Leave it to Grandma Harris to say some crazy thing in the Temple. Grandma had Kathleen pulled down so that she looked like she was whispering into her ear. I saw Kathleen's face get a sudden shocked look and thought, "Oh no. Now what has she gone and said?" 

"What did she say?" I timidly asked my still shock faced future mother in law. 

Through a polite but puzzled smile she simply replied, "She bit me!" 

"GRANDMA!!!" I said quietly but with great embarrassment. 

"What?" said Grandma. "I wanted to make sure she didn't forget me. Now she won't."

Yes. I am sure my mother-in- law will never forget Grandma Harris. None of who knew her and loved her will either. This story makes great fun with my nieces and nephews when I tell them the first time my grandma met their grandma my grandma bit their grandma.

Okay, your turns. Let's have a bit of laughter tonight. Things have been way too serious. I need a little of the Best Medicine. I am looking forward to some funny comments.