Tell THAT Person Thank You

 It was the fall of 1988 (if my memory is right....if not, my dad can call me on this), and it had been about a year after my mom's death.  My dad decided that he would take us girls (Carla, Sheila, and I) on a vacation to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.  I remember clearly two things from that trip:  a motel room and a comedy act.  I remember the motel room because it was a trucker's motel and probably the seediest motel I have ever spent a night in my life.  (Good try, Dad!)  The comedy act I remember....well, that is a little different....

I was 17 years old, and I don't think this was a vacation I wanted to be on.  I was living the aftermath of the trauma of losing my mom in a tragic farming accident.  I was not in a good place.  But at the Renaissance Festival we stumbled upon an interesting comedy act - two guys who called themselves "Puke and Snot."  Their names alone captivated me to sit down and listen.  Their use of puns, easy back and forth one-liners, and the way that they laughed at themselves within the comedic routine relaxed me to the point of laughing - really laughing.  This moment of laughing was the first real laughter I had allowed myself after my mom died.  It was the moment that I had a little hope that I would feel again and be able to laugh again.  And this was all due to two guys who called themselves, "Puke and Snot."

Fast forward to 2003 (it may have been 2004), and Darrell and I decided to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  I looked at the program and found....."Puke and Snot."  It was comforting to me that they were still doing their comedy show, but I still was not at a place where I let it affect me emotionally.

So this past weekend, I happened to be in Maryland visiting friends and they wanted us to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  We arrived and were deciding what to do when I said, "Well, I could always see if 'Puke and Snot' have a show."  My friend opened up the program and......there they were!  "One of the longest running acts in the history of Renaissance festivals."  I had to go.  I found the stage and enthusiastically sat through the whole show.  Same "puke"; different "snot".  Some parts of the act were familiar, some were updated.  I laughed a lot.

After the show, I felt strongly that I should go and thank the original "Puke" - Mark Sieve.  I went up to him, introduced myself, told him a condensed version of my story, and just thanked him for what he does and how he gave a 16 year old a reason to laugh in 1988.  He was very touched, gave me a hug, and told me that my story was not the first that he had heard, which made me happy.  I walked away, knowing that I had done the right thing and that that thread of my life had come full circle.

So, some things I have learned....
1.  Always tell people when they have touched your life and thank them.
2.  God has a sense of humor - sending a Renaissance festival comedy act called "Puke and Snot" into my life when I most needed to laugh - thank you God!
3.  After a trauma or a tragedy - you will feel again, you will laugh again; but it may take time.

Psalm 34:18 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

    and saves the crushed in spirit.