There just isn't anything like a trip to the Greeting Cards section of your favourite store.  If you are like most folks, you don’t' even consider it unless you have a specific reason to head there.  But, oh, what you may be missing!

What with Mother's Day in May and Father's Day not far behind, off we go to find that one card that says for us what we often cannot say for ourselves.  Has it ever been an exercise in futility for you?  I remember one year when the last thing I wanted to say to my mother was how wonderful she was. She and I weren't having those warm, fuzzy feelings and every card I picked up proclaimed such sentiments.  It was all I could do not to cry out, "But I don't like my mother…at least not right now!  Where's the card that says that?"  I imagined it was probably in the same section as the card that says, "My daughter is driving me crazy…at least right now!"

And then I got distracted. I found myself gravitating to those humourous cards. You know the ones.  At first it's the illustration on the front that catches your eye and then you feel compelled to open it up.  I succumbed to the distraction and read one and smiled.  I read another and smiled more fully.  On the third, I actually giggled a little.  Do you know that reading these can be addictive?  By the time I got to card number five, I was laughing out loud and wondering if someone was about to come and ask me to leave.  By card number seven I was holding my sides, snorting and crying all at the same time.  I was having a wonderful time all by myself, and it wasn't costing me a dime.

Then it dawned on me. I had made a huge discovery in curing the "blues".  Everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine for what ails you.  That wasn't new. But what I'd discovered was how to get that medicine, that "fix", for free whenever I needed it.  How exciting is that?  Who knew that a simple trip to a card shop could do so much for one's well being?  I couldn't wait to share that with Jude, my best friend.

After that Jude and I were frequent visitors to card shops.  It became part of our outings; it became part of our relationship building.  It also became somewhat of a competition to see who could come up with the funniest card.  Our laughter became contagious as other customers would join in and we'd have a card party on the spot.  I'm sure there were times when we were annoying; I am also sure there were times when we were a real blessing to someone who just needed some laughter in their day.

Card shopping became a wonderful experience for me no matter what kind of card I needed.  If finding just the right one for the occasion was difficult, then I would allow myself to be distracted by the "not right ones".  Deciding always became so much easier once I'd had some fun in the process.  Sometimes the words on the pages looked different and felt different with a brighter mood. It was as if I was seeing them under a new light.  The words hadn't changed; but the way I interpreted them did. 

Then it happened. I discovered another bonus to reading all those cards.  Those words had become part of me.  Whenever I had the occasion to congratulate someone, commiserate with them, or thank them I had the words to use.  And yes, sometimes I'd choose the ones that had them holding their sides, snorting and crying all at the same time. 

Jude and I no longer live close enough together to share those outings.  However, our competitive spirit lives on as each of us still shops for just the right card to send one another.  There is no special day for us like Mother's Day or Father's Day but it seems that at just the right moment a card suddenly appears in my mailbox. What fun!  I am twice blessed as I enjoy the card but also can imagine her shopping for it.

Before my mother's passing, I learned that much of what I found hilarious was her humour which she had passed on to me.  Thankfully, we had some times together to have an occasional "card party".   We were always welcomed in her favourite pharmacy as it was only on rare occasions did they see little old ladies crying from laughter. 

Note to Self…   Keep looking for ways to find the joy in life as therein lies the "medicine" to keep one healthy,  Then share the discoveries with others as joy shared cures the "blues. "