Friendship is a special gift. It is sometimes so fragile that words can shatter its delicate bond. Sometimes it is so durable it can last a lifetime, without tarnish or rust.
Of Love and Laughter is the delightful and often amusing story of four women for whom the bond of friendship has lasted since their days as toddlers. It is a friendship that has endured, not because they are so much alike, but because their different personalities have blended so well. Just as a recipe blends together ingredients, friendship also blends together personalities.
Their husbands have become fishing buddies, which gives the girls a lot of time for adventures. Upon discovering a for sale sign in front of the grand old house at the summit of Stellar Slope, the house once owned by the professor of astronomy and his wife, the four are dismayed by the house’s dismal state of repair.
Soon the four friends are pondering how to come up with enough money to return the house to its once stately appearance, and they do come up with some creative solutions. They hover around the phone, as if it were the last cookie on the plate, when they call the number on the for sale sign.
It is also the story of one very generous man who trusts in the good intentions of four women he has never met. He believes in them when they tell him they want to make the house a place where love and laughter are once again shared.
As the house is scrubbed clean and given a fresh coat of paint, the four friends happily recall childhood memories of the Professor and Mrs. Lee who had once lived there. The Professor and Mrs. Lee had no children, but their house was always filled with love and laughter. Children came to peer through the professor’s telescope and marveled at what they saw far past their tiny spot on earth. The professor loved to share his knowledge, and the children were intrigued when he told them about the moon, the planets, and the stars.
It was always fun to sit in one of the white wicker chairs on the spacious front porch at “Stellar House,” as it was called, and have a glass of lemonade with Mrs. Lee. Delicious smells of pies or cookies would sneak out of her kitchen, and she would always share the delightful goodies she had baked. She taught the girls how to knit and how to play the piano, and she always had time to sit and talk.
Of Love and Laughter is a lively and often humorous story of friendship and faith.
This was a great book. I had a hard time putting the Kindle down to do what I need to do.