Crazy Happy Family

For our anniversary, one of my sisters gave my husband and I a plaque that says “We are one CRAZY happy FAMILY.” She clearly gets us. Our kids have a great sense of humor. In fact, they are some of the funniest people I have ever met. A few of them, including my husband, can mimic movie characters – you know, the important ones: PeeWee Herman, Golum, Darth Vader, etc., or they can pull out their ancestral language (usually Scottish) to make a moment even better. Some can create a verbal story on the spot and most of them have a lot of movie lines memorized to use at crucial moments. Whoever is the receiver of these quotes has to figure out which movie they are from. Like: “It could be worse; it could be raining.” Which is from Young Frankenstein – it's said when they are digging up a grave at night and Egor complains about the hard work. Of course, as soon as Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) says it, it starts to rain – a literal downpour. We used that quote at lunch last week as there was a light rain and we were under a not-quite-large-enough canopy. We were sure it would become a downpour as soon as we said it. It didn't. Movies are awesome, lol. And, yes, there were movie quotes and a change in accents during that lunch.

Some of us wear interesting outfits that shout our creativity. A slip over a dress instead of under it. The highest platforms we can wear. Stars, moons, and suns, or dragons, a touch of goth, sparkly nylons, curious or colorful purses or backpacks, bright colored hair – all the colors of the spectrum cover us. Don't get me wrong. We are still quite normal and many of us dress very stylish or plain or for comfort.

Our true eccentricity comes out when some of us do or say things that most people would be too embarrassed to do – just to make the moment funny. Think of Roger Rabbit when he couldn’t take off the handcuffs until it was funny. When the funny moment came, they unlocked. When something someone says sparks a memory of a song, we must start singing it - especially if it enhances the moment (is funny)! Spontaneous comedy spouts out of most of us. Even the more serious of us have their moments of being funny. There is no doubt about it – we are a fun bunch.

Despite the sorrows and hardships all of us have gone through, we retain our sense of humor and our joy. There is nothing for it – hardships, sorrows, and pain will come. It’s up to us to get through this life miserably or joyfully. When we’re going through a rough patch, let’s let our troubles melt off us and open ourselves to joy. Let’s hang out with someone who loves to laugh and who makes us laugh. Laughter is healing. Our family has our serious times, but laughter always rears its delightful head because we really are “one CRAZY happy FAMILY” and our love for each other carries the day every time.