A wife and husband, both well over 70, were known in their neighborhood for their endless joking and playful ribbing and it was sometimes hard to tell love from humor.
From the outside, it looked like everything between Annie and Fran was constant arguing and teasing, yet those who knew them could see it was the usual way partners communicate after so many years together.
Among all their jokes, one in particular was loved by the whole community. My husband, with his funny manner, would say, “When I die, I’ll climb out of the grave and bother you for the rest of your days!” It turned into a well-known response—sometimes ludicrous, other times cute, but always able to pull a laugh or a grin, depending on how much someone recognized it.
Time played a role in shaping things. At the age of 98, after leading a long and eventful life, the husband died. At the funeral, many family, friends and curious neighbors were there to remember the old couple and all the things they did. Visual Sharing the day brought tears, yet there was still plenty of laughter right at the end as he hoped for.
A quiet instant by the casket gave a chance for a neighbor to lean toward the widow and hum the question: “Don’t you ever fear he’ll haunt you from beyond?” It was like repeating the old joke and those nearby waited, waiting for a smart answer.
At once, the widow lifted her head, looked the neighbor straight in the eye and answered him with a grin, “Let him test his luck. I buried him with his face to the earth, so he won’t ever need to ask the way out. She arrived at the right time. The service was above expectations.
She was able to give her late husband a one-more-time joke—the climax of a familiar joke, finished with love and fun. It went beyond humor; it meant saying goodbye with memories of their many funny moments in the language they often used. At that instant, full of laughter, their story found a new life and was always remembered with a smile.
