A month ago today, Nana Pigeon passed away. She was a woman who lived her life in laughter as often as possible. While I was home for a few days to attend the services, there were several gatherings at my aunt's house where the whole family would get together and hang out to prepare and go through old photographs and talk about all the old stories and memories we had of her. Inevitably, we'd all end up laughing remembering all the good times and funny stories.
And throughout those few days, I had to stay aware that at this point in my pregnancy, my energy level was much lower than normal, and my tolerance for noise and overwhleming stimulation that my family exudes may not be the same as it usually is. I made sure to take time and go to the other room and sit for a few minutes in the quiet, with Cooper, who was always hiding from the noise as best he could. It was during one of these "breaks" that I became aware of a very strong memory of my own from when I was really little. It was that very familiar sense of being put to bed for the night or for a nap while the rest of the family was still hanging out and of hearing the distant laughter rising and falling the way the cheering at a sports event does in rhythm with what is happening at the time. It was just far enough away to be pleasant and not distracting and I can remember how soothing it was to fall asleep to that sound of laughter.
I sat in that room, cuddled up with Cooper on the floor and let myself dwell on that sound again and really appreciate the happiness and security and love surrounding it. And, it brought me to tears (emotional pregnant lady shines through) thinking about how my kids are going to have that sound to fall asleep to. They are going to get it when we come home to visit the family, and they will get it when we have our friends over, who are our family away from home, and they'll get it when we spend time with Bev's family because although there are less of them, they are so similar to us in their appreciation of laughter and family. It was a wonderful enough thought that I wanted to share it and to remind people to never take for granted the laughter that we share. We are all lucky to have each other in our lives. And, while our babies are all sleeping in laughter, we can rest assured that those we have lost are still immersed in that laughter as well.
(I know I said that the next post would have the ultrasound picture, but I had to throw one more in here before I left for vacation. Next one...I promise.)
