Stealing

I read once that all the commandments could be summed up in one. Thou shalt not steal. For example, adultery is stealing someone's spouse. Coveting is stealing one's peace or wanting what is not yours. But there is one way that stealing is good. It's not really stealing, I suppose but I've been thinking about it. Like, I wish I could steal certain things from each person.
For example, Mom. I would like to steal from her the ability to laugh. I'm working on it but it's not so much my nature. I got the Sacry worry part instead. On the nature/nurture thing I think Mom by nature got the laugh part. Have you ever been around the Pyfers, Clarks, etc. They have the best humor! And maybe Mom drew on that to laugh in the middle of the most difficult parts of her life. She always chose authors who she could laugh with like Patsy Clairmont, Barbara Johnson and Erma Bombeck. But she found humor in even the books I though were so serious. Like when Mom and I were traveling back from Oregon visiting Amber and we read, "The Kite Runner" to each other. Sometimes she would laugh so hard and I'd think, "That's downright sick!" I could not see the humor in it. Once when I went to see a counselor he told me I needed to find the humor in Dad's drinking. I just stared at him. I know he was right and I'm still trying.
People loved to be with Mom because of her humor. I wonder if I ever left her house without having had a good laugh? Debbie and Terra both have written about how they got the gift of laughing at themselves from Mom. She surely was good at that.
And nothing was more fun than when Mom got what Terry and I called Nonie's giggle.
She would laugh so hard she cried and if you were with her you would laugh more at her laugh than at the thing she was laughing at. I think her granddaughters got he best deal with Mom's laughing. They loved to laugh with her. Times like when Mom accidently pulled a loose hair out of a waitress thinking it wasn't hooked on.
And Mom could make me laugh at her. Once in church I was presiding in front and Mom thought we were supposed to stand for a hymn. So she did, all alone. Noticing she was the only one standing she slowly lowered herself to the chair. It struck me so funny that I hid behind the hymn book, shoulders shaking until I realized I would have to leave the room to get control of myself. I went to another room, laughed out loud for awhile and then came back in to finish presiding. It seems with Mom there is always something to laugh about. I love to be with my siblings because laughter is always a part of those times. It's a part of my heritage that I definitely want to steal. If you read this blog and can remember a funny time with Mom, share it. I know she'll be laughing with us.