Laugh Out Loud

An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death's agony,
he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate
chip cookies wafting up the stairs. He gathered his
remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed.
Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out
of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced
himself down the staris, gripping the railing with
both hands, he crawled downstairs.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door
frame, gazing into the kitchen. were it not for
death's agony, he would have thought himself
already in heaven. There, spread out upon waxed
paper on the kitchen table, were literally hundreds
of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic
love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he
left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself
toward the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled
posture. His parched lips parted; the wondrous
taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seem-
ingly bringing him back to life.
The aged and withered hand trembled on its way
to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was
suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.
"Stay out of those." she said, "They're for the
funeral."..........by Kathy P.