Ann Qual

'Ribit, ribit,' said the frog on Dad's head

Christmas hasn’t always been a joyous occasion for Ann Qual.

She has dealt with more than her share of family tragedy, including the sudden deaths of two siblings, one just a few days before a Christmas holiday.

“So yeah, just appreciate being together. I just appreciate my parents and my sisters that are still here,” she said.

That appreciation led to so much laughter around Christmas this past December. Qual cherished every moment she spent with her family.

They gathered at her parents’ house in Cedar Falls to reminisce, to pay tribute to their deceased relatives, but mostly to laugh — sometimes at each others’ expense.

“We just laughed and laughed being together,” said Qual, who is married and has three children, the youngest a sophomore at City High.

Qual said she especially gets a kick out of her father, who recently turned 78 and is recovering from cancer.

“One time when I was a lot younger he put a little toy frog thing on his head and he was just sitting there like nothing was out of the ordinary,” Qual said. “And we’re like laughing, ‘Daddy has a frog on his head.’

“And then he said, ‘See, you can be dignified with a frog on your head.’ So for this Christmas, he got a new frog for a gift from my mom.”

That tradition is just another reason to laugh.

— Pat Harty

Iowa City Press-Citizen -- March 12, 2009