My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly.

Recently Patty’s sisters came for a visit. Having grown up in a house full of girls with no brothers, the sisters are close. The youngest sister wasn’t there, but the Patty and her two older sisters had a great visit. They fished, swam, walked on the beach, cooked, ate great food, talked and laughed. Boy, did they talk and laugh. Parker would go to bed only to be awakened by belly clutching, eye tearing laughter over and over.

Parker never thought the sisters would get up and go fishing the mornings after staying up late, but just like clockwork, they got up, got ready and fished. Finally he asked what they found to talk about until all hours. And, he wanted to know what they laughed so hard about so much of the time. They all three began to giggle like girls and told him that’s just what sisters do. They talk and laugh.

In fact, they said when they were little they were sometimes corrected and even punished for giggling at the dinner table. One night at dinner they got to laughing and pretty soon their giggle box was completely turned over.

In frustration their Daddy sent the two of four oldest girls to the laundry room. He gave them a stern talking to, told them to sit on the floor and think about how they should act at the dinner table, and then came back to the table to eat.

He looked up and found his two younger daughters crying their little hearts out. When he asked Patty what was wrong, the little girl tearfully cried out, “Daddy, Please, I want to go the laughing place too! I need to laugh with my sissies.” Daddy patiently took her by the hand, led her to the laundry room and called the older sisters back to the dinner table.

From that point on, they were told to laugh quietly at times but never told not to laugh. He was often heard to say, “Giggling and girls, it just goes together.”
In all the years he taught his daughters the laughter continued. Whether fishing, hunting, learning to drive, changing a tire or making small repairs, he was a patient teacher who not only tolerated but expected the giggles and laughter.

Now, even without Daddy, here, they still find time to laugh whenever they’re together and they always miss him sharing in the fun.