Wish Granted

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“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” – Mark Twain

There’s a funny thing about setting intentions, isn’t there? It’s like wishing for a butterfly to land on your finger so you put yourself outside and sit still enough for it to happen. But the next part is the crucial step. Will a butterfly land? Maybe it’ll be a ladybug? Or, yikes, it’s a mosquito. And then the magic comes in whether we are open to any of the above being an answer to the wish.

I had a list of five simple things that I wished for on Christmas day. At least one belly laugh that, in the best case, makes it so you can’t breathe for a split second was one of them.

On Christmas morning, my family came over to open presents with the kids. My mom, brother, sister-in-law, and two friends that are family by choice were sitting in the living room with the kids when I went into the hallway to get a bag for the debris. I heard my 84-year-old mom say, “I’m a non-violent person but I thought this gift looked fun.”

With my curiosity piqued, I popped back in to see four-year-old Mr. D opening the present in question. It was a hat, something like a shower cap, with Velcro on it, and three soft balls. The idea is for one person to wear the hat while other people throw balls at their head.

The laughter and jokes came fast and furious.

“Oh great, Nana,” my friend, Eric said, “teach the little ones to throw balls at people’s heads.”

“Imagine the team of game designers for this product,” my brother said. “The glee they must have had realizing they had a wide-open market for toys that we throw at people’s heads.”

At this point we were all laughing, but especially my mom who was laughing so hard she had tears running down her cheeks.

“Oh look,” my sister-in-law observed, “they mark each area of the head with points. You get 100 if you get one front and center and only 50 if you tag the side.”

My family isn’t immune to the angst that comes with holidays. We don’t all see things the same. And when my dad died suddenly, it created more division. My sister, who is a litigator, sued my brother for a million dollars. They settled but my sister remains largely estranged.

That’s just some of the family wounds we carry and the holes we feel at the holidays. But for that moment, we were right where we belonged. We were howling by the time we finished with unwrapping (and dissecting) this first gift.

Wish fulfilled.

[No children or adults were harmed in the making of this post.]

(featured photo from Pexels)

53 thoughts on “Wish Granted”

  1. Oh my, Wynne. I laughed and cried with this one. It hurts my heart to think about irreconcilable differences that split families apart for reasons we may never know nor understand. That laughter ruled the day is a testimony to the core strength of your family, and proof that love rules, no matter what. Your dad surely lives on in the hearts of you all.

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  2. Great gifts–both the hat and the laughter. So glad your wish was fulfilled. My family also has an estranged sister, and that proves to be particularly difficult for my parents at Christmas.

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  3. Ah… right where you all belonged. Simple words…mega wonderful feels. Thank you for the smile this morning, dear Wynne. And p.s. – your mom – she’s amazing! 🥰❤️🥰 Non-violent indeed!

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  6. That’s hilarious! Wish fulfilled, indeed. So, I’m guessing Mr. D either loves it, or hates it. 😂 Your mention of a belly laugh reminded me our Christmas Eve with the extended family. My father randomly burst into song… he had written a Die Hard song on the spot to the tune of “Santa Clause is Coming to Town”. Laughter with family is truly the greatest gift of them all. ❤️

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  8. The death of the family member who hold things together often brings either turmoil or a decision to repair wounds and make friends. I am glad you are at the stage of laughter and play, Wynne. May it continue.

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  9. I can think of a couple of employment situations where it would have been cool to issue those velcro caps to co-workers and then keep track of my ringing up the points!🎯

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  10. Your piece jumped out at me this morning Wynne. First, thank you for the honesty talking about your family. In the simplest terms, thanks for keeping it real. And then it hit me too, that you got your intention and that Mr. D was the glue that brought it out, pretty cool. Love it.

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  12. ‘No children or adults were harmed in the making of this post.’ I think that made me smile the most, because I Imagined your next post that may say that ‘a child/adult was harmed in the making of this post’. I made up my own story that could lead to this conclusion!

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  15. You really touched on a deeply held communal experience of Christmas. Families carry wounds, we have different opinions and different ways of doing things as we meander through life. And the miracle of Christmas was operating in your living room, when generations, friends and family came together despite their eclectic histories and shared a belly laugh. I mean, what more evidence of miracles do you need? Loved this Wynne, hugs, C

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  16. I loved this! Your mother found such an amazing gift. I wonder if there is another grandmother on earth who would buy that for their grandchild. I’m glad it gave everyone laughter and joy on Christmas.

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  17. Laughter is the best! And thank-you for sharing your family struggles. Sometimes, some of us seem to think that it’s ‘only our family’ that has issues. 💝 You sharing with us that we all have different views is a great reminder to love and laugh with who you can, while you can. 😄

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  20. The healing powers of laughter. I am wholly impressed by your Christmas day wish list. I realize now that I was not thinking philosophically at all – enjoying family time, but also thinking about the mechanics of the day (who’s coming when, what time does dinner need to be ready, etc.) I like your approach much better!

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    1. Oh, you say it so well, Gwen – the healing powers of laughing. Well, we do need to get dinner on the table too but thank goodness for the times when we make time to laugh too, right? Happy New Year to you and your family!! ❤ ❤ ❤

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  21. Laughter is what this world needs more of. Not the mocking kind, but the genuine silly kind like you describe here. So nice to read that you had a good time around the holidays and are moving into the new year with your sense of humor in place.

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  23. The belly laughs that end with tears are the best kinds of moments, especially when enjoyed with loved ones.

    This sounded like a precious moment on Christmas and glad you had that.

    The gift does sound kinda goofy and fun at the same time. How has Mr D been enjoying it?

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