Jennifer

“What’s wrong?” Billy’s question had me looking up. My second-oldest brother was already  dressed for work in his suit and tie. “And shouldn’t you be fishing with Hank?”

“I cancelled. I have an errand to run.” Grabbing a coffee cup from the cabinet, I tossed a thumb over my shoulder. “The toilet is acting funny.”

“Like what? You mean satire?” This question came from Cletus, not bothering to glance away from where he was reading at the table. He was still in his pajamas, his curly hair a mess.Nevertheless, I was surprised to see him up so early.

“No, I mean—”

“I hope it’s a dark comedy,” he added, still not removing his attention from the newspaper.

“Cletus. That’s disgusting.”Sitting across from Cletus, Duane’s tone was reprimanding.

Finally, Cletus tore his eyes from the paper. “What?”

“Dark comedy?” My twin lifted his eyebrows.“Meaning poop?”

“No, Duane.” Cletus paired this with a suffering sigh.

“That would make it a shitty comedy,” I piped in, adding fuel to the conversation fire as I was prone to do, feeling more myself as I smiled.

“Y’all are a bunch of toilets,” Billy mumbled under his breath.

We all turned our attention to our older brother, with Cletus speaking for us, “Let me guess, because toilets in this house actfunny?”

Billy tilted his cup toward Cletus. “Exactly.”

I grinned, the rawness in me settling. Being around my brothers was a salve and a good reminder. We had all lived through dark times—sometimes together, sometimes separately—yet here we were, making toilet jokes on a Wednesday before 7:00 AM.”
― Penny Reid, Beard in Mind

“Sometimes things happen in life that you didn’t plan for. All you can do is suck it up and start mapping out a new plan.”
― Colleen Hoover, Point of Retreat

“There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to
you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something
bigger and better than your current situation.”
― Brian Tracy