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Day 73: Laugh When You Can!



May 27, 2020

I heard them coming before they got to me.  Racing and pushing each other on the stairs, my two oldest daughters were headed my way and they both wanted to be the first to tell me something.  Kati, the little one, got there first and made her big announcement, “Jodi’s gonna tell on me!”.  I still laugh out loud every time I think about that.  I don’t even remember what Jodi had to say because I was laughing at Kati for telling on herself.  Another famous tattling incident was the time Kati reported that “Jodi threw Ken’s arm across the street.”  Not nice, but definitely hilarious.  Poor Malibu Ken never could keep his arms in the sockets.  I wish I had written down all the funny things my kids said and did over the years.  I know I’ve laughed a lot.  I love to laugh and enjoy even more, seeing others laugh.  Laughter is good for the soul.  It momentarily lightens every burden and it is sometimes contagious.  No one can laugh like my Aunt Linda.  She laughs from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head and when something strikes her as funny, she can laugh until she cries.  She finds humor in everyday life that most people miss, and she brings everyone in on the joke.  Her laughter is contagious.  In the last five years, she has been through losing her home to flooding twice and has beaten cancer but has always rebounded and stayed positive.  Her faith in God is strong and her sense of humor is her gift.  When devastating things happen in our lives it is natural and necessary to mourn and call upon God to help us keep our head above the water of our grief.  There are losses we never completely heal from.  We only “just keep swimming”, hoping to come upon an island of peace and understanding.  We are not alone.  God is with us and He holds us up until we can make it back to the shore.  Laughter can buoy us up and help to heal us.  Feeling joy is healthy and we must never stop looking for it, at times reframing our view of life to see if we can find a little humor to brighten our day.  So, today, if your kids fight and tattle or you trip and stub your toe, try to laugh about it.  Try to find the joy and humor in each day.  Proverbs 31:25 says: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 3:4: “There is a right time for everything…a time to cry; a time to laugh; a time to grieve; a time to dance…” I hope you get to laugh today.  Smile and be joyful!

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