The Best Medicine

4/5/09 Laughter
Winslow is here! For Hoptown readers, enough said. Those folks know our friendship has spanned the years from childhood to senior citizen. From antics as teenagers to college roomies and beyond we’ve been together---even if 379.05 miles apart. She was maid of honor in my wedding and I’m sure I assumed she could join us on our honeymoon---Larry didn’t make the same assumption. Yea, we were real close friends----and still are.

Therein lies the problem. We did everything together and most of our shared adventures were fun and funny. Funny brings laughter and though the old adage says, “Laughter is good for the soul,” it’s not good for sewn up lips. Coughing and yawning, I’ve learned to stifle. Sneezing and laughing, on the other hand, are still major concerns. One uncontrollable sneeze blew the nose “packing” across the room---I was just grateful it didn’t take my new nose floor (made from part of my upper lip) along with it.

Being married to a “born comic” and family dubbed, “king of one-liners,” I’ve been struggling with this urge to laugh at Larry ever since I came out from “under the influence” of the surgery drugs. He has really tried hard to “behave” but humor is just a part of who he is and it easily flows from Larryisms to 3 Stooges impersonations. It really got bad when he and nurse Beth (my sister or his first wife depending on joke/need of the moment) would banter in Baylor Hospital room 529. When she tried to feed me with the syringe aimed at the wrong “hole” I lost it----resulting in gown change and linen change and traffic jam trying to get me to the bathroom with all those poles tagging along. You get the picture. But……….that episode did teach me how to squeeze my jaw to minimize destruction.

So, what does scripture say about laughter?
A joyful heart is good medicine. (Proverbs 17:21) I’m pretty sure a joyful heart has some laughter in it. Of course, Ecclesiastes also reminds us that there is “a time to laugh.”

I had some real struggles in the wee hours last night---anxious thoughts (Psalm 94:19) are always harder for me to take captive (2Corinthians 10:5) in the dark. In this instance, I had probably overdone it a little yesterday, so my tired mind whirred fearfully even as I prayed and sought consolation from the Lord. Sleep escaped me for over two hours and refreshed is not a word that came to mind on awakening.

But God………..in His mercy had sent “nurse” Winslow—who does everything but bodily fluids. I had Winslow at my bedside, along with all the memories and laughter that came with her, and my spirits were lifted. God knew that today would be a good day for some laughter in my life---I’m sure that trying to reduce burgoo and benedictine to go through a straw will have us both in stitches. I just need to keep the laughter reigned in so I don’t lose my new botox lips or fish (carp) lips as Larry calls them. I will just have to trust the Lord to help me in this and practice the “squeeze” technique that Beth taught me.