Mom Makes Me Laugh

A few weeks ago my mother told me a story about her father that I had never heard before.  He wasn’t much for going to church even when he was young but one day he reluctantly attended.  He was sitting in the pew when some people wanted to get past him so as he rose up he lifted the whole bench up with him knocking some ladies off their seats.  Then he muttered under his breath “I thought I was in the theatre” which made me laugh so hard as I pictured him saying this (in Danish, with a few sprinkled curse words).  He was more accustomed to being in a theatre than in a church!  Then last night Mom let out the same exclamation as she tipped back her chair to watch the show.  We both cracked up laughing. 

      I am so enjoying having my mother live with me, not just for the fabulous perks of home cooking and housecleaning, but because little stories come out at unexpected times.  Of course there are lots of anecdotes that I’ve heard before but every once in a while a fresh story comes out that I never knew before (or couldn’t remember).  This is where the tape recorder and video camera should come in handy but it’s like when your critter does some amazing stunt – the equipment is never there when you need it!  As we become more mature (not to say Older) we savour anecdotes much more than when we were youngsters.  It’s also easier to see where all our personal quirks come from when we hear how our grandmother or great grandfather conducted themselves in a certain situation.  I particularly like the story about my great grandmother who was fond of stating quite firmly that she stood on her rights, whether she had them or not.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the Tree!