the gift of laughter

the women walked in to the farm early in the cold december morning. 
some swapped hugs and shared hellos, their bags were put down the floor. 

most of us brought gifts for the exchange.  we placed all these christmas treats on top of the chest and barrel.  it was drizzling, there was no tree to put the presents under.  bwahahaha!

before we officially began the evening, the party, amy from buhi led the prayer.  through it i was clickin' that i just heard the amen at the end.  i jokingly asked amy what the prayer was about, she did not tell me.  bwahahaha!  

in my mind, tho, i included these words:  please receive the joyful praises of our laughter.

 those words ring in my ears like sweet bells all night as i listen to giggles, chuckles and outright fits of giddiness.  these rural women, my RIC, know how to have a good time.  

and as i reflect on it later, i realize that, yes, our laughter sure sounded a lot like praise.
laughter that says:  thank you for the friends you have given me to share this moment.

so this season of joy and love and hope, i give you the joyful praises of my laughter.  as my friends and i laugh when we tried pounding to bits the pigeon peas before making polvoron, as we laughed when we opened the crazy presents, as we practiced our square dance. . . 

our laughter finds its way into our messy and imperfect and our this-is-not-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year moments. . .

as i walked the path to the farm gate, groped actually, as we did not have electricity that night, sounds of chatter trailed out behind me.  i turned back and looked through the foliage to catch final glimpses of those smiling faces - and i thought, joy to the world indeed.

thank you for the gift of laughter. bwahahaha!