LAUGHTER IS AN INSTANT VACATION

"Laughter is an instant vacation" Milton Berle
"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul" Yiddish Proverb

If those two quotes are true then my clean soul experienced an instant vacation last night! Honeybuns and I drove to a "mystery" location as he revealed one more birthday surprise. We ended up at the home of good friends where I was greeted with that famous birthday greeting "SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The members of our small group from church had gathered for dinner together. The wishes were genuine, the food was fabulous, and the setting was very beautiful.

There are NO words to describe those extraordinary people.

Talk about a riotous time! It was wonderful. We told funny stories until our jaws and tummies ached with pain. It was an incredible time of transparency. That particular trait often shows up when friends past the age of 35 get together. It's that time of life when everyone has experienced all sorts of personal triumphs and tragedies, raised children through teen-age hysteria, moved around a few times, and known several different employment challenges. In this era no one is trying to impress anyone and everyone knows that boils and warts exist in every family.

Perhaps authenticity is another word to describe the dynamics of that group of people. We've all learned that it's o.k. to be unique and be accepted and appreciated at the same time.

And now it's the "day after" and I am still smiling at some of the visual images those tales impressed upon my brain. Our group will never be the same, we've bonded in a new good way.

I look forward to "doing life" with these people for a long time to come!

And when I need a vacation or a good soul cleansing, I'll just spend a few minutes remembering my birthday surprise party and laugh again!