LAUGHTER

Laughter has always been a part of my life so I guess I took it for granted that laughter was a given in everybody's life - its like breathing.  But the past few years have caused me to ponder that perhaps the world population is not naturally jovial.  I use to work in a place where everyone loved to laugh - it made the rough work week go a lot faster - and everyone enjoyed coming to work. (It should be noted that the only reason why I needed to quit my job was so that I can devote more time to my kids.)  It amazed me that this kind of mentality is not normal in all work places.  This is probably why its become a rarity to receive great customer service.

A few years back, a good friend of mine once told me that he liked me because I laughed a lot.  I thought it was a strange compliment but a compliment is a compliment - so I simply said, "thank you".  I grew up in a home that was always filled with people - I have seven brothers and sisters - so laughter was a given.  We never had to put any thought into it - whether the day was good or bad - there was always something to chuckle about.

I visited a school campus once and found their main office to be immaculate and quiet - there was an absence of chatter and laughter.  The obsessive compulsive nature in me enjoyed the peace for about fifteen minutes.  Then the Christian educator in me started to wonder how this can be good for ministering to our youth who lead troubled lives in very disruptive homes.  I spoke to the administrator at the time about the work place, trying to carefully make it sound like a compliment that his  campus is quiet and tidy and mine was noisy and filled with commotion (I didn't use laughter and joy but that's what I meant when I said commotion.)  He nodded but then he noted how laughter was important which was why he and his wife made it a point to purposefully laugh every morning.  Hmmmm.  Purposefully???? - Really???? That was pretty interesting to me because I never had to purposely laugh for anything.  But I'm beginning to learn that some people do.

Someone once asked how we could laugh when a loved one dies.  I simply stated, "how could we not?" If we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we know He is in control - so our joy should abound.  If we know Jesus is the only Way, Truth, and Life, then we know that this world is temporary and the life hereafter is the one we look forward to - and our loved one is now in a better place for all eternity.

Last week, my brothers, sisters, and my dad's wife buried my dad.  The last few weeks of my dad's life was hard - he was in a lot of pain - but he never failed to laugh and crack jokes.  He wasn't perfect - during many of his painful episodes, he yelled and grumbled and got angry.  But during those times, we would laugh and tease him and this helped to redirect his attention from his discomfort and he would start joking around again.   This was the legacy my dad left to all his kids and grandkids - the legacy of laughter.  The last few months of my dad's life - we were constantly by his side and he was always surrounded with laughter.  Laughing was not a show of coldness or carelessness but rather it was a sign of strength and knowledge that only comes with having a sense of security in knowing who you are and who you belong to - and we belong to God.

I've come to realize that there are many who go through several days without laughing.  I can't imagine going through a single day without laughter...  Back track a little... not to go give away the identity of anyone I will be vague and not list them in any particular order in regards to the three who thought that my natural habit of laughing was an unusual pleasantry.  Well one lost his job, the other went into depression, and the other is currently facing marital difficulties.

Proverbs 17:22 says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

My dad and his grandkids.

My kids love playing with my "iphoto" on my Mac.