A Laughing Matter?
CANCER IS NO LAUGHING MATTER . . . or is it?
IN MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN a sense of humor was the best trait to have. Anyone could be smart or pretty, but the
ability to tell or appreciate a good joke was prized. I never mastered the timing of a good punch line, but my sister and I are always the first to get one. We’ve been conditioned to laugh.
YEARS AFTER MY SISTER graduated, I met her band instructor. “Oh,” he said. “I remember her. She was always laughing.” I thought that was best compliment that could be given anyone.
I BELIEVE THAT THE WILLINGNESS to laugh is learned. It’s a muscle, like faith, that needs to be exercised. Comics will tell you an audience has to be made ready to laugh. Once they’ve warmed up, anything is funny. I think that’s true of all of us. Once we’ve warmed ourselves up, anything is funny.
IT’S NOT JUST THAT LAUGHTER beats the thunder out of crying, it’s also good for us—especially when illness rears its ugly head. When I’m laughing, I can’t worry. When I’m laughing, I don’t hurt. When I’m laughing, I’m a child again. And when I’m laughing, I’m never lonely.
IN HIS BOOK, Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins wrote that he discovered one hour of laughing gave him two hours of pain-free sleep. He promptly scheduled daily time for the Marx Brothers. He believed he conquered a rare paralyzing illness through laughter. Later, he laughed his way through debilitating heart disease. My hero, he literally died laughing.
AND HOW ABOUT ABRAHAM AND SARAH? They thought it a huge joke that in her nineties, God promised Abraham that Sarah would become pregnant. In fact, although she denied it, she laughed out loud when she overheard Him. As a result, the blessings of the covenant God made with Abraham passed down to us through this child whose birth made his mother, and everyone who heard of it, laugh.
AND WHAT DID GOD tell Abraham to name this son? Isaac. A name that means “he laughs.”
MAKE TIME FOR WHAT you find funny. Condition yourself to laugh. You’ll always be in good company--and you'll have to struggle to be unhappy.
You’re blessed! Be a blessing.
IN MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN a sense of humor was the best trait to have. Anyone could be smart or pretty, but the
ability to tell or appreciate a good joke was prized. I never mastered the timing of a good punch line, but my sister and I are always the first to get one. We’ve been conditioned to laugh.YEARS AFTER MY SISTER graduated, I met her band instructor. “Oh,” he said. “I remember her. She was always laughing.” I thought that was best compliment that could be given anyone.
I BELIEVE THAT THE WILLINGNESS to laugh is learned. It’s a muscle, like faith, that needs to be exercised. Comics will tell you an audience has to be made ready to laugh. Once they’ve warmed up, anything is funny. I think that’s true of all of us. Once we’ve warmed ourselves up, anything is funny.
IT’S NOT JUST THAT LAUGHTER beats the thunder out of crying, it’s also good for us—especially when illness rears its ugly head. When I’m laughing, I can’t worry. When I’m laughing, I don’t hurt. When I’m laughing, I’m a child again. And when I’m laughing, I’m never lonely.
IN HIS BOOK, Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins wrote that he discovered one hour of laughing gave him two hours of pain-free sleep. He promptly scheduled daily time for the Marx Brothers. He believed he conquered a rare paralyzing illness through laughter. Later, he laughed his way through debilitating heart disease. My hero, he literally died laughing.AND HOW ABOUT ABRAHAM AND SARAH? They thought it a huge joke that in her nineties, God promised Abraham that Sarah would become pregnant. In fact, although she denied it, she laughed out loud when she overheard Him. As a result, the blessings of the covenant God made with Abraham passed down to us through this child whose birth made his mother, and everyone who heard of it, laugh.
AND WHAT DID GOD tell Abraham to name this son? Isaac. A name that means “he laughs.”
MAKE TIME FOR WHAT you find funny. Condition yourself to laugh. You’ll always be in good company--and you'll have to struggle to be unhappy.
You’re blessed! Be a blessing.
posted by Chronic Hope at 5:13 PM
1 Comments:
My gracious you are a blessing. I've just returned from a week long trip to DC. Now, after reading this I'm not as tired.
I had a child once tell me he knew God liked to laugh. When I asked him why he said, "Ever see a giraffe?"
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