My friend Harold was quite impressed when he went to dinner with companions.

The food was good but what impressed him more was the incredible memory of the waitress, he said. “She took our individual orders for drinks and dinner and came back with everything exactly as ordered then delivered to the right person.”

The amazing part, he said was that she never wrote anything down. When he asked how she managed to remember all that, along with taking orders at other tables, she told him she had a photographic memory.

“That’s always been my gift,” she said.

“We all have special gifts. A photographic memory just happens to be mine.”

I believe the waitress is right when she says everyone has a special gift. And most often people aren’t aware of special gifts they’ve been given.

That’s because we’re conditioned to think special gifts are obvious things such as a great singing voice or extraordinary musical talent. There are other gifts we might have but they are less obvious to us.

That was verified after Harry told his waitress story at a small dinner party.

My friend Priscilla spoke up and said she didn’t think that it was true that we all have a special gift because she knew she didn’t have any.

I told her she has at least two special gifts that continue to delight others. One is her infectious laugh and the other gift is her keen sense of humor.

When Priscilla is with others you can bet there will be plenty of fun and laughter, primarily because of the way she can spin a funny story. Then, when she laughs, it’s the kind of laugh that compels us to laugh along with her. The end result is Priscilla makes it an enjoyable time for all of us without even trying.

Some try too hard to be funny, and the result isn’t pleasant. Priscilla is genuinely funny without trying.

As a veteran journalist, I know I can definitely tell a story. But I also know I can’t tell a funny story, even if it’s funny when Priscilla tells it.

At one party Priscilla had us in stitches telling a tale about Tom, her big cat.

As she and her husband were leaving to fly to Florida, they couldn’t find Tom. Finally, they had no choice. They had to leave to catch their flight.

When they got home a week later, she heard a faint meow coming from the guest room closet.

“When I opened the closet, big, fat Tom dashed out - but he wasn’t fat anymore,” she said, accompanying the story with her infectious laugh. She made it all sound so funny.

When I tried to tell that story to my neighbor, it no longer sounded funny. My neighbors said it was the worst pet story she ever heard.

Only Priscilla can make us laugh telling a traumatic episode.

My cousin Dolores also had a gift of laughter that makes others want to be around her. I can’t picture her without hearing her tinkering laughter in my mind.

Unfortunately, she married someone who liked to drink, not work. Delores worked a demanding job as an E.R. nurse while single-handedly raising five kids. Yet she never stopped laughing or making others laugh.

Those who share their gift of laughter with us give us much more than a pleasant moment because laughter lightens our mind, improves our mood and wipes away stress.

“Laughter breaks the chains that want to enslave our hearts,” writes the Rev. Dr. Luke Powery.

In his essay, “The Gift of Laughter,” Dr. Powery says laughter is even more important and life-giving as we get older.

True, rollicking laughter can make us feel younger. That’s probably why I feel like a kid again after spending time with Priscilla.

The fellow who was amazed at the memory of the waitress is a gifted chef. A former musician, he can make a meal sing on our taste buds.

I bet many of you still remember meals your parents and grandparents cooked decades ago. They may be gone, but we still carry within us an appreciation of their culinary gifts. With very little money they managed to produce unforgettable meals.

Harry’s dinners are also unforgettable.

Some have the gift of service; others have the gift of an appreciative heart.

Perhaps you don’t think about these attributes as being gifts to relish, they truly are.

One of the most overlooked gifts is one we all were given. It’s the gift of life, which, in turn, gives us the gift of each new day.

“If you’re reading this you have the gift of life and that is reason enough to laugh out loud and to laugh with love,” writes Dr. Powery.

When was the last time you laughed with love because you were overflowing with the goodness of life?

One of the most important gifts we can have is one I call the gift of vision.

Some can see, but they don’t have vision.

They don’t take time to see the unique beauty of each day.

One philosopher calls that “riding on a train, passing spectacular scenery with the shades drawn.”

Do you go through life with your shades drawn?

If you have the ability to see and appreciate the wonders of each day, you have the greatest gift of all.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.