Laughter

"Come on, honey, take a picture with me."

"Ah, Ed, my hair..."

"Come on! Smile..."

My parents are adorable. Not in a lovey-dovey, "here honey, let's be cute and split an ice cream cone" way. They're not into making a show; in fact, my Dad could care less what anyone thinks about him :) Instead, my parents have a steady, in-it-for-the-long-haul relationship, and I would argue that it's because they know how to laugh together. Dad absolutely loves Mom's dry sense of humor. She'll make a remark, and he'll laugh and laugh, and then she'll laugh because he's laughing. They read the newspaper together on Sunday afternoons and laugh about the rediculous consumerism in the ad section, or the article on jumping dogs, or the weatherman's editorial column on "storm clusters." Other might not see a lick of humor in the small, everyday happenings of the world, but my parents feed off of each other's laughter. When I hear them laughing, I smile.

They've been married for twenty-five years, and they're still going strong, sustained by love, yes, but also their ability to laugh.