Just running through some stuff I’d written about ten years ago. Found “Giggles”. Still makes me smile…Hope you will, too.

We were sitting in a restaurant last night having dinner when giggles erupted from a young child behind us. At first, it didn’t catch our attention. Then the giggles bounced out again in a longer string. And again. And again. And again.
It brought to mind the times in the past when we’ve been attacked by the giggles. Do you remember ever having a giggling fit?
They come out of nowhere sometimes. You can be perfectly serious, perfectly sane. Then someone says one thing that hits your funny bone just right. The giggle begins as a smile, expands to a small chuckle, then an outright laugh and finally expands into a long waterfall of giggles. And suddenly you can’t stop. You just have to laugh and laugh and laugh. Tears roll down your cheeks, you catch your breath for a moment, manage to put on a serious face, and then suddenly there it is again. That giggle just forces its way out! And you start allover again.
Our daughter was (and I think still is) a giggler. She began with that particular infection when she was about six-months-old. She’d begin giggling over a little tummy tickle. She has always had a deep, full-bodied giggle, so it would begin in her tummy and rumble out with a burble of laughter falling all over itself. She’d giggle so hard, she couldn’t stop. Before long we’d find ourselves giggling right along with her. Over who knows what?
Shelly continued giggling right into her toddler years. Our neighbor dubbed her Giggles. It was a fitting name. She giggled when he said, “Hi, Giggles.” She giggled when she made something cute. She giggled when she saw a dog or a cat. She giggled when she was tossed into the air. She was a giggler.
Laughter is so contagious. And it feels so good. It lifts weight you didn’t know you had right off your shoulders. It brings tears to your eyes. And unfortunately in the case of some people, it brings moisture to other parts of their bodies!
But isn’t it great to just let out a belly full of giggles? We enjoyed the giggler in the restaurant last night. We found ourselves giggling a bit, too. And we reminisced a little about all the great giggles we’ve had in our family. What a wonderful gift it is to laugh.