My mother had a wonderful wit.  I am reminded daily of the genuine way she looked at life.  When I would ask her, "how are you?"  She would smile and say, "Do you want the two-minute version, the half-hour-version or the hour long version?"  Every time someone asks me how I am, I think of my mother and how very funny and entertaining she was.  Happy Birthday Mom, I hope you are still laughing at life.

When my children were younger, and I had a full-time home office, I had a housekeeper who would come to clean once a week.  Every single week she had some sad story to tell me about either her health, her children, her work, etc. etc.  I always tried to avoid her when she was there.  One day my mother was visiting when the housekeeper came. As usual, the housekeeper started talking about her various woes.  My mother interrupted her and said: "Well . . . we all have our problems.  Right now, Leslie's problem is that she needs her house cleaned".  For the first time ever, the housekeeper went silent, and did her job without drama--it was hilarious.

My mother was an old fashioned Southern Lady.  She referred to guests who were boys as "gentlemen callers".  When I was sixteen, I had a date with a boy.  I was thrilled that he had asked me out.  I was upstairs in my room getting ready when I heard the doorbell ring.  When I came down the stairs my mother was sitting there reading a book, and my date was no where to be found.  I asked my mother where he was.  She replied "Oh, you would not have believed how he was dressed!  He had on a white t-shirt with stains on the front!  I asked him if he was calling on my daughter in that shirt.  I assume he went home to change." I felt a mixture of anger, embarrassment and severe disappointment.  My mother said, "Hopefully, he will come back dressed more appropriately, and if not, well, no big loss".  Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, my date appeared at the front door wearing a botton down dress shirt, with the price tag hanging in the back collar!--lol