:o)

I remember being in grade school when my sister was the pianist for a play they performed, Alice In Wonderland. For weeks, it seemed,  my family heard the piano playing, I'm Late for hours on end until it was practiced to perfection.  I never cared for the play or even the movie, actually.  I just don't have the same affinity toward Disney movies as everyone else.  And DON'T get me started on Elvis.  Elvis!  Never liked that guy either.  But I digress...

The one part of Alice In Wonderland that I do remember is the Cheshire Cat's smile.  You know how when the cat faded away, only his smile remained visible.

I was folding clothes this morning and I started recalling Gary's smile and his constant attempts at humor. I can tell he was introspective to a certain point, because he would sometimes walk in the door at night and ask me things like, "Have you ever noticed....?"  "Have you ever wondered why...?" That guy could come up with the most bizarro observations and I could always shoot holes in his theories, but he was undaunted.  I know he ran his crazy ideas past his coworkers too, because sometimes he'd tell me what so and so told him and often there would be an actual discussion about the ridculous ideas he had. That never stopped Gary from continuing to wonder and propose his ludicrous answers. After he'd drop these funny musings on me he'd smile and say, "Huh?  Huh? See?" Gary was never wrong(in his own mind).

I was just thinking about how many times I would just dismiss Gary's stupid ideas as yet another goofball quirk of his.  I am now remembering that afterward, sometimes the next day, I'd be home when he was at work and his crazy notion would come back to me, and then I would start wondering about it too!  And I'd smile.... Gary.  :)

I never told Gary how much I enjoyed his little mind games and jokes and quirks.  I never gave him compliments for his great personality.  I never told him how much fun I had and how much I looked forward to him coming home every night with new things to share and funny things he saved to talk about. I would just remember later...... and I'd smile.

So, today, folding the clothes, an act that is the same now as it was when I was Gary's wife, except I now have no mens clothes to fold, I remembered some of the funny things Gary said.  He made an effort to share things with me purposely to make me smile. I've said before how I adored his irony and dry cutting humor.  No one will ever, ever compete with Gary's wit. So folding the clothes, this memory came back to me in this thought:  A smile can last long after the person who created it. When other things fade, the smile remains. I can still picture Gary's smile as he told his little stories, waiting for my reaction.  I remember my smiles after the fact in appreciation of the mind that came up with this stuff.

I am the beneficiary of Gary's smiles even now because I've learned that they are a rare commodity.

The next person who gets to be loved by me will also benefit from Gary's smiles, because I will never take a good sense of humor for granted anymore.  I will tell this special person that I think they are crazy and funny and how I love that about them. I think smiles are gifts that we give someone and we should always let that person know how much we appreciate it.