Did you hear about that guy named Jack? 

People & Places 

Have you ever had a person in your life who made you laugh every time you saw them? I’ve been lucky enough to have had three — my dad, my brother and my husband.  

I, personally, don’t really have a great sense of humor; my husband says I can’t tell a joke right, but the three most important men in my life can — or did. I can’t remember a time in my life when these three men didn’t try to make me laugh.  

My dad was such a silly man. It didn’t matter if it was corny, goofy or even dry; if he thought it was funny, he would tell me the joke. His favorite holiday was April Fool’s Day. We knew better to answer the phone but, every year, I would, not remembering the date. He would play pranks on every one of his children, and even some of his grandchildren.  

He once convinced my daughter that her grandmother had wandered away and she needed to come help find her. Crying and scared, she was half way to Belen from Albuquerque when he finally called her to tell her it was an April Fool’s joke.  

I remember this one time — I must have been 7 or 8 years old — we were all sitting at the dining room table and my dad started telling us one of his jokes. I don’t know what my mom put in the beans that night but as soon as my dad said the name “Jack” I couldn’t stop laughing. I still don’t know what the joke was about or even if he was talking about a car jack. 

At least once a week, and even sometimes more than once a day, he would call to tell me a joke. His goal in life was just to make us laugh — and he did all the way to his final breath.  

My brother, Daniel, was just as corny and silly as my dad. He may have not been as funny, but he sure thought he was.  

For my brother, a joke wasn’t just about the punch line; it was about how loud he could make you laugh or how much he made himself laugh at his own joke. When we were younger, if we didn’t laugh, he would make us laugh by unrelenting tickling. 

Daniel absolutely loved to laugh. I think that was his most favorite thing to do in life. The last time I was with him was a few days before he passed away in February. We were at my nephews’ basketball game and he was, as always, wanting to make us — but more importantly, him— laugh. He was hiding my sister’s water bottle, teasing and pinching me as usual. 

His smile lit up any room he was in, and Daniel’s laugh was contagious. We surely do miss him. 

I love a lot of things about my husband, but one of the things I love most is his sense of humor. He’s hilarious. Even on my worst days, he can make me laugh.  

Matthew can find humor in anything — in everyday life, in serious subjects, in his own quirks, and mine. He, like my dad, loves to make me laugh and, when I don’t, he keeps trying until I do.  

We’ve had a hard couple of years, and an even harder few months. Nobody lives life without experiencing tough times and, for those times, humor does heal, defuses and provides perspective.  

Because of these three men, their sense of humor and their love for me, I’m a much happier person simply because of all the belly laughs. While humor can’t fix everything, I’ve learned that it does, more times than not, soothe the soul.