Last weekend my former roommates from ASU and I met in Boone for our yearly reunion. We were fortunate to stay in a beautiful mountain home that a friend of mine generously shared with us. Not only was the home and view refreshing, but it is always fun to reminisce on our old stomping grounds, share stories about our lives, and laugh.

When we first arrived before our trek up to the mountain house, our meeting place was the “Higher Ground” coffee shop. As we entered the coffee shop, we noticed a sign on the window for “Laughter Yoga.” The class offered five minutes of yoga and twenty minutes of laughter and five of cool down. We all were intrigued with the new idea.

Grabbing a cup of coffee with friends in the afternoon without kids or interruptions was the beginning of a special weekend. But my order of half and half was not quit the order of decaf and regular I intended, but a half cup of “Half and Half” whipped with half the coffee. After several sips my mouth felt numb. I removed the lid to take a peak and discovered lots of froth and hardly any coffee. And the laughter began…

After picking up some groceries, we arrived at the mountain house and enjoyed the cooking of the “hostess with the most-ess” in our group. We spent the evening eating and talking until midnight. Saturday morning was filled with much better coffee, a serene morning on the deck and a hike of more talking and laughter.

Saturday afternoon we decided to go shopping for a few hours and then eat out for dinner in Boone. After two hours, it was time for the early bird special. We were all hungry, tired and ready to rest our weary legs. We drove to Pepper’s and some of us didn’t like the dark atmosphere or the music. We climbed back in the van and headed for Casa Rostica. The host politely informed us there was an hour and a half wait due to a Charlie Daniels concert in town.

 As we walked out of Casa Rostica discussing the situation, a young man recommended another Italian restaurant. Off we went to check out the menu. One of us needed a gluten free entrée, another could not eat red sauce, and another piped up that it was a 92 percentage grade. Within a few minutes this restaurant was not a happy option.

Back in the van we go! By the end of the dinner decision we ended up right back where we started at Pepper’s. It would have been easy to be agitated and angry, but we were giddy and tired and all we could do was laugh!!

Reflecting on the weekend I have come to appreciate my friends even more as I grow older. Committed friends are the abundance of God’s grace overflowing into our lives. We talked about this rare lasting occurrence between the four of us. God had brought us together twenty-three years ago without a doubt. Forgiveness, caring and humor have been the pivotal bonds that have held us together. By the end of the weekend we decided who needs to pay for a laughter yoga class when you have comical great friends for free!! -A cheerful heart is good medicine.(Pr. 17:22)