| LAUGH! By Vickey Pahnke <[email protected]>, author, song writer, producer There is a wonderful scripture in Genesis 21:6 that says, "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." I have always been fascinated that Sarah's first reaction upon hearing that she was going to have a baby was to laugh. Looking down at the cross-reference section, we are instructed that a second interpretation of the Hebrew word "tzachak" is "to rejoice". What a joyous celebration Sarah and Abraham must have had upon hearing the news of their child to come! Their laughter was a rejoicing! How important for us to make note that laughter should be synonymous with rejoicing. I learned long ago that my life could be a lot more enjoyable if I learned to laugh. It is better than crying...especially when we do silly or embarrassing things. Years ago, when my father had just gotten out of the hospital, I was privileged to take him on his first outing, to the barbershop. My home was a half-hour away from my parents' and I was in a rush to get to my dad. Have you ever had the feeling that something isn't quite "right"? I was having that uneasy feeling but could not figure out why. I hopped in the car and zipped down to get my dad and we jaunted off to the barber. When we got him situated in the chair, I settled down in a seat to watch the hair cut in action. That's when I noticed my shoes. I had on two different tennis shoes! One was a "high top" and the other was not. How embarrassing! Deciding to carefully conceal my preschool attempt at dressing myself, I pulled up one leg and sat on that foot. No one would ever have to know! But as I sat there it occurred to me that my father would really enjoy this ridiculous mistake. "Dad," I said, "look!" I sat up with both feet on the floor and pointed to my shoes. Dad looked at my feet, at my face, then back at my feet. And then he burst into wonderful laughter as he gave me a look that seemed to say, "Bless your heart. I love you anyway." Everyone in the shop had a good laugh. And I realized that this silly mistake was well worth the benefit of laughter to make my father's day. Plus, it was nice to reinforce the feeling that Dad loved me in spite of my goofy mistakes. Similarly, you will find that people love you for who you are, complete with goof ups. As for my outing that day, it has become a great entry in my laughter journal. It is a poignant memory, especially since I must now wait until my father and I meet once more on the other side of the veil to laugh together again. So many good memories involve my family or friends having a good laugh. If ever I am feeling down, it is helpful to pull out my mental laughter journal and smile as I see the humor even in things that were once embarrassing. Laughter has come to be a sort of celebration. Oh, that our laughter can always be the kind that is a joyful celebration, the kind that would never make the Savior uncomfortable or exile the Holy Spirit. Elder Hugh B. Brown once said, "A wholesome sense of humor will be a safety valve that will enable you to apply the lighter touch to heavy problems and to learn some lessons in problem solving that 'sweat and tears' often fail to dissolve" (Conference Report, April 1968, p. 100). Accept the gift of laughter. Enjoy the blessings. Laugh, brothers and sisters! It will do wonders for increasing our enjoyment of every single day! ============ Excerpted from the book "K.I.S.S.: Gospel Guidelines for Better Relationships", written by Vickey Pahnke for Bookcraft Publishing. |