Conversations with Robbie Lee

For those of you who don't yet know, Robbie is my sister. I sometimes call her Robbie Lee, though her middle name is Lynn. I'm not sure where Lee comes from or how it got started, but it stuck and is now her official name to me.

I love talking with Robbie about any subject. She is smart, alert, insightful and hilarious. She has such a different take on things. She always makes me laugh and is my biggest encourager. I thank God every day for her and that she and I get to do life together.

Some of our best and funniest conversations happen around playing cards. We play Phase 10 at least twice a week and I must admit I'm addicted to it, though I rarely win. While we're playing we talk about anything and everything.

One night we were playing Phase 10 with a friend of ours, Joyceanne, and Robbie was shuffling the cards to deal. I just happened to say something about, "Shuffle off to Buffalo" as just a play on words. It was silly really, but at the time it seemed at least a little funny. Robbie Lee looked at me with a serious expression and said, "You know, I've never understood that phrase, "Shuffle off to Buffalo."

"Really?", I asked. "It's a famous phrase. It's from a broadway song in the play, "42nd Street."

Joyceanne nodded her head in agreement and asked, "You mean you've never heard of "Shuffle off to Buffalo, Robbie?"

"Yes, I've heard of it," said Robbie. "But I just don't see what a buffalo has to do with New York."

Joyceanne and I just blinked twice and stared at each other. We were very confused. Robbie just continued shuffling the cards, oblivious to our faces.

"You do know that Buffalo is a city in New York, right?" I asked, smiling.

"Oh, that's right." Robbie said, looking surprised. "Of course it is. Oh, now it makes more sense. I didn't get why someone would shuffle off to a buffalo. But they were shuffling off to Buffalo, like shuffling off to a city. Now that makes sense."

Joyceanne and I burst into hysterics. Only Robbie would think someone was shuffling off to a buffalo. It doesn't even make sense, but alas, that was Robbie's whole point.

It's so great to have someone to laugh with in life. Robbie and I spend more time laughing than anything else it seems. Don't get me wrong. We have difficult days and seasons just like everyone else, but we choose to add as much laughter and joy to our lives as we possibly can. It keeps our perspectives sharp and focused.

Life can definitely throw a lot of chaos and tragedy at us, absolutely, but we just have to choose not to allow ourselves to unpack and camp there. We have to keep moving upward. Proverbs 15:24 says, "The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down into the grave." Our path winds upward. It doesn't stop in the middle of the situation. Choose to have a joyful heart. Joy is contagious. Pass it along. Enjoy this hilarious video to get you started.