Everyday due to construction, I drive by his old school and I hear laughter fill the playground as kids, and some teachers, join in on the fun. It takes me back to our childhood…
We were young. Maybe 8 and 10 years old when I would set up pillows from all the rooms in the house. These said pillows would be covered with blankets. Fuzzy blankets to be exact. Then I would stand next to him and ask if he wanted to roll with me. For the next hour or two, we could be found laughing, playing, turning in twists and summersaults up and down the hallway. I could do 2 backward and 2 forward summersaults, and I showed my mom with pride. He could do two or three, depending on how straight he aligned his body. Typically he would roll into the wall, with a thunk, then the hall would be filled with laughter.
I am so thankful to be able to hear that same laughter a few weeks ago.
It would be Springtime when we would get out the trampoline. All winter we anxiously awaited the warm weather’s arrival so we would be able to jump, flip, squat and fly. Sometimes we would fill the trampoline’s net with McDonald’s play place balls. Boy was that fun! If you jumped on them they would pop up and shoot through the sky like beautiful colorful snowballs. Other times, I would attach the sprinkler to the net and we would run and jump off the summer heat. He would just laugh and laugh at my silly faces. A few times, we would slip across the matting due to the water puddles and end up in a pile of love.
His laugh was different than most people’s. A higher pitch than his actual voice, it was always music to my young ear’s, I would do everything I could to make him laugh right now.
We would splash in our neighbor’s pool, turning summersaults in the water (he’s actually the one who taught me how), jumping off the ladder even though we weren’t supposed to, swim under the ladder as a contest to see who would do it the fastest. Though I’m sure he never understood that we were racing, he still would squeal with delight after diving into the four feet of refreshing blue water.
Not a day goes by when I don’t think of him. I hope whatever he’s doing right now, that he’s making someone laugh and fall in love with his own. My brother, the one who taught me to “LOL” before it was cool.
