Laughter

I am old enough to remember enjoying “Reader’s Digest” as a young person. A monthly periodical published ten times a year, the popular magazine contained an eclectic mix of stories and anecdotes that covered a wide spectrum of life in the U.S.A.

One of my favorite series was “Laughter is the Best Medicine”. Some quotations, some jokes, some short stories … sometimes corny but oftentimes thought evocative … all good stuff.

Laughter lifts one’s spirits and soothes emotional pain. This last weekend, my grandson Hayes, with Duchenne, visited with our gorgeous baby granddaughter Olivia in Tuscaloosa. Their respective pet rescue dogs enjoyed each other and proved to be very protective of baby Olivia as she would waddle around the fenced perimeter of the home backyard.

Inside, Hayes played with baby toys in the playroom and showed an interest in the things that Olivia enjoyed the most … obviously for the purpose of entertaining her.

Hayes would act entirely goofy in front of Olivia to make her laugh, which she did often and hilariously. Hayes did to Olivia what I used to do to Hayes when he was a baby … anything to make the baby joyously laugh.

The art of being goofy, all for a laugh, is being passed down, from Papa to Hayes to Olivia. Not a bad pass-me-down gift, it seems.

As we pray and work to end Duchenne, let’s our community of affected families find humor in the simple things of everyday living, such as young cousins comically entertaining each other. There may be no better medicine at the current time.

Kindly,

Papa in Tennessee