Oh! ... That Laugh!

Oh!  … That laugh!

I’ll never forget it. I remember playing with my cousins, while my Aunts and Uncles, and Parents would go for a boat ride … they called it a Cocktail Cruise  … and we could hear that laugh, all the way across the lake. We always knew where Aunt Jerry was because we could hear her laughing. She had a full-on distinctive, “Aunt Jerry” laugh! … Truth be told, … We knew when we heard that laugh, that our parents were coming back, and we should stop doing whatever nonsense WE were up to!

Last April, we went down to Florida to celebrate “J-ma’s”  90th birthday. (Her grandkids call her J-ma, and she was proud of that!) When we got to the apartment complex clubhouse where the party was, we didn’t know where to go, since we had never been there. Then … I heard her laugh and knew right where she was!

We had a great time visiting with J-ma and several  of my cousins. Telling old stories and laughing out loud  … Aunt Jerry has passed her laugh to her kids (my cousins) in a remarkable way. Now, when they laugh, they sound just like her! … It’s not just its uniqueness or the sound and volume, it’s the full-on Joy of it, the contagious enthusiasm, living in the moment, not taking anyone or anything too seriously. The older we get, … the more we go through, … the longer we live our lives,  the more we should remember Aunt Jerry’s laugh, and her love of Life …

Now don’t get me wrong, Aunt Jerry could get on to us when we were bad, but then she could give a smile or a hug, or a laugh, … as good as Gold.

Aunt Jerry was the last of that generation of McClure’s … what an incredible life they had, living through depressions, wars, good times and bad. They enjoyed kids, grandkids, and great grandkids, … they loved us all, … and each other … and they laughed …

(Joseph Watson McClure)