Jilly Brandon

This boy/man of mine…Logan, where do I start?  He makes me laugh like no other!  I don’t even know what it is exactly about him, but his gift is humor is contagious.  He has many other things going for him, but his ability to make me completely lose it in laughter is unsurpassed.  He loves to sneak up on me and scare me, making me scream like a madwoman.  Or his other favorite thing to do is to poke me in the stomach at random times,(often around people,) so that I make a most unlady like grunting noise.  It’s so embarrassing, however each time he does this I crack up.  What else am I supposed to do?  Granted..many tines I have giggled..”stop it Logan!”  Apparently when you are snorting with laughter, the command to your son goes relatively unheard.  I need to say it with affirmation next time…but I won’t.  He is a goofball, and He is wonderful.

The other night I was in the dusty furnace room retrieving our various storage boxes filled with miscellaneous dress up, and Halloween costumes from days gone by.  He began putting on random things and I was laughing so hard.  It was hilarious.  When this kid commits to a part, there is no half way about him.  He goes all in..I love that about him.  Saying that he us ” in character” most of the time pretty much sums it up.  His zest for getting the laugh, and being funny is just so wonderful.  I realized that I had not been doing much laughing, or smiling this last week or so, and when I was sitting on the stairs watching his antics and giggling, I realized how good and therapeutic is laughing.  I’m pretty sure endorphins are released in your brain which make you feel so good.  Although it can make you out of breath and pooped out, it’s such an exhilarating thing to have a good belly laugh.  I looked at him in all of his costumes, and was just overcome with love and wonder at him……Logan is working on weekends for the month of October up at a Corn Maze north of our home.  Take a guess what He is doing?…yup..he is a monster, or he is portraying numerous scary characters from movies.  He says that it’s not even like working, because he has so much fun.  He was describing it to me last week, and telling me all about it, so I decided to invite my friend Cindy to go with me last Saturday night.  We arrived there, and the place was hopping.  There were tons of cars, and long line ups.  We waited in line for our tickets, then stood waiting in line to go through the dark corn maze.  The night was cool with a slight breeze, and the dark sky glistened with the stars.  Such a perfect night to be scared out of your mind.  Let me just say right off that I certainly would not have chosen this particular activity for a Saturday night unless of course my son was not there.  Sigh…the things you do for those you love.

Finally we made it through, and we’re walking blindly through the maze..no flashlights allowed..what in the world?  Who thought up this version of a nightmarish event I’m thinking.  It was so dark, and we were going down random paths, laughing nervously when we would come to a dead end.  I was clutching my purse to my chest with one hand, like a nervous old lady, and clinging to Cindy with my other.  I’m sure we made a crazy looking duo.  Thankfully there were other disoriented souls on our route.  We randomly ran into the “corn cops,” which I had been mistakenly been calling the “corn cobs.”  Makes sense right…?..sort of..we were in a corn maze after all.  We got to the end of the maze, with the direction of said cops, only shrieking a few times…mostly me, because I hate the dark and also being scared.

Now..a grisly looking tour guide beckoned us forward into “the field of screams.”  I’m thinking ya..no…but there was no turning back because we hadn’t yet seen Logan in all his made up glory, and that was after all, why we were there.  We went into various close quarters with random people, dry ice would billow out, and the “get to know your neighbor” section of the tour commenced.  Did I also mention close, tight areas filled with strangers breathing down my neck are also not my idea of a good time?  When we entered one room, I recognized my sons’ friend Zach, dressed as a crazed scientist in a white lab coat,the hair on my neck stood up, because I realized that my son had to be lurking near by.  Sure enough, we rounded the corner and there he was…he jumped up on a ledge directly in front of us, and I screeched!  He was twitching his head back and forth, and he looked awful.. He was wearing these white contacts in his eyes, so all you could see were his pupils.  Also a black crazy wig, among other things.  The way he jumped about erratically had the others in my group screaming too.  When we left the maze and were on our way back home, I was smiling, and thinking, oh my Logan, you have melted my heart, made me smile and scream again and again, and I just love the spirit of you.

I can’t remember if it was that night, or I few nights later when I awoke to this image in my living room.  You can barely see him, but Logan’s beagle, Mario, is nestled high atop the cushions on our couch like a scene out of the childrens’ story of “The Princess and the Pea.”  This made me break into laughter straight away.  You see Mario is not allowed up on this couch, and has been shooed off of it more times than I dare to mention.  Logan piling all of these things upon the leather couch  was an attempt to discourage the beagle from making a nest there.  Now I’m thinking Mario thoughts…” Well thank you very much..and don’t mind if I do,” as he jumped  up on the couch, and proceeded to get comfy.  He of course, had completely missed the point.  This was very humorous to me…This boy and his naughty dog just makes me happy. I was so thankful, yet again, for the gift of laughter, of pure humor, and joy, and how it unexpectedly creeps up on you, and lightens your mood, brightens your day.  Lately there has been much to cry about, and be sad with, but I’m finding it’s impossible to stay in this place for too long.  It gets dismal.  I’m reminded yet again of how Logan could make Bianca laugh and shriek with delight.  He would whip her toys around her room exclaiming, “uh oh!” numerous times. Oh how she loved “her Logan.”  He would carry on hopping about on one leg, than the other creating a carnival of fun.  She loved it, and she loved him…so much.  I’m sure he misses this interaction as much as I do.  Laughter….good medicine for the soul.  It’s ability to heal, and wash away the hurt is transforming to the mood, and good for the heart, especially the hearts that are breaking.

These men/sons of mine certainly bring the laughter to my life.  I’m so grateful for the uniqueness of them.  I love to see them interact, and crack each other up.  It’s just so great.  They have become good friends, and respect each other, and care for one another.  They cared for and loved their sister desperately, and always brought a smile to her face no matter what.  That is priceless.  We will still break out into fits of laughter, we will still find joy..even in the midst of great sorrow.  We have to remember the sound of her laugh..it is the medicine that is capable of healing us….and we so need that.

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