Laugh Well-Live Well: Part I

August 20, 2014

Laugh Well-Live Well

Then we were filled with laughter, and we sang happy songs. Then the other nations said, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are very glad.” Psalm 126:2, 3 (ICB)

I love silly…It took a long time for me to really learn this concept. Oh, I have had some wonderful teachers through the years. People who knew the tremendous value of a good belly laugh…the fantastic benefit of a heart-felt burst of laughter…the amazing release of overflowing energy which could have been released in alternative ways but, it certainly would not have been much fun. I do love silly…

Some of my favorite teachers in recent years have been our grand-daughters. The contagious giggle of these four little girls is impossible to overlook or to ignore, in fact, their laughter is truly contagious…it is infectious! Ahhhh, and the source of their laughter is never the most recent Hollywood release (these little girls don’t watch much T.V.)…it is never the electronic devices which seem to monopolize our society, (they don’t own cell phones or tablets, or computers yet) … most often, it’s not the numerous toys scattered in their playrooms. No, the source of their incessant giggles, and their cheerful, melodic laughter is usually a game that they play together, one that their imaginations have created…a game which calls for the silliness to present itself…a game which calls for silliness of character, a game of “dress-up”, a game of “pirates coming”, …and they laugh unapologetically and uncontrollably at each other’s silliness, and at their own…

I love silly…and what an absolutely perfect excuse to embrace the part that had not abandoned me, but had somehow, over the years, become lost in life experiences, had become submerged in a pool of “life” worries, responsibilities, and schedules.

You may understand…

What I discovered was that I began to take myself way too seriously. It is really funny how God allows life events to occur…to assist us in remembering that we should not, must not take ourselves so seriously that we view ourselves as infallible to mistakes.

One of our favorite games that we play is taken from one of the oldest Veggie Tale songs, “The Hairbrush Song”. You probably remember the song where Larry the Cucumber is searching for his hairbrush after his cucumber bath, (rather silly), and he continually sings, “Oh where is my hairbrush…Oh where is my hairbrush…Oh where, oh where, oh where, is my hairbrush?”

We have turned this game into the search for any missing item….the missing toy, the missing blanket, the missing snack, the missing sippy cup, the missing sister…the missing Digee…and then the silliness overcomes the moments…and the search is on, as we sing our own lyrics as we search. Our two year-old grand-daughter Charlee has carried the song out in detail as she hides and sings, “Oh where is Charlee… And the laughter and the giggles are contagious…they are infectious! And the silliness continues!

Oh, Where is My Bumper?

Last week Bill and I went to dinner with some friends and on the way home I recalled an incident which defies explanation but happened to me about three years ago. As we dropped off our good friends at their home and were exiting their neighborhood security gate, memories flooded my mind of this truly inexplicable event which had occurred at this same gate, three years before…

Because we frequented Hwy 71 regularly, Bill had sold our smaller Austin vehicle and replaced it with a Hummer, insuring that I would have a clear view for driving and of course it should help because I would sit up higher and it seemed to improve the peripheral vision.

I pulled up to exit the neighborhood after visiting with Karen, and pulled up a little too close to the gate as it began opening toward my car. I have never bragged about great reflexes but I put the transmission in reverse to back up away from the gate now moving ever so close to my car, and I was able to back away in time to prevent a direct hit, but the gate tapped my bumper (or so I thought), as it continued to open…Whew, I thought, “That was close.” I looked through my window to view the opened gate and determined that no damage was done to it, and I decided to take a look at the Hummer when I drove the three minutes to our home. I pulled into the driveway and parked in the front of the house, preparing to jump down and to inspect the front of my vehicle, certain that there would have been no damage done to such a sturdy drive!

Before my feet could reach down to jump out of the opened car door, Christie and Barry walked out of our house and stared at the front of my car and began to point. I climbed down from the vehicle and was blasted with immediate questions…
“Mom, what happened to your car? Mom, where is your bumper?”

I got a horrified look on my face, ran to the front of the vehicle, and there it was…No Bumper! “Oh, my…” I began to explain what must have transpired…totally unbeknownst to me. They began to laugh uncontrollably and offered to ride with me to go and to search for the missing bumper.

We re-entered the neighborhood and looped around to pull up toward the exit gate, and there on the grass, where the gate rested when fully open, lay a bumper, just the right size for the Hummer…Oh, there was my bumper, right where the gate left it after it pulled it from the front of my car. “Oh, my!”

I jumped out of the car to run over and retrieve the missing part and looked up to see the son of our good friends pulling into the entry gate. He had his window rolled down with a perplexed look on his face. I waved, as though nothing was amiss, and muttered something about having lost my bumper on the gate, and that I just needed to come back to get it. My explanation was very weak as I opened the back door and tossed the bumper into the back seat, climbed back up into the vehicle waving goodbye as I pulled up to exit from the opened gate, careful to not do any more damage. I remember the bewildered look on our friend’s face. And I clearly remember the laughter in my own car as Christie and Barry were dumb-founded, that once again, I had an incident!

Laughter…A Happy Heart…

A happy heart is like good medicine. But a broken spirit drains your strength. Proverbs 17:22 (ICB)

Once again, I find it quite interesting that science spends literally millions of dollars and time, conducting studies, experiments, etc. to determine and to confirm what God knew, what God intended, and what God created to be absolutely true. Yes, He clearly said, communicated, and purposed that a happy, joy-filled, heart full of laughter was and is literally like a good medicine…that a mind filled with cheer, with joy, and with thoughts of contentment…is ‘Gehah’…the Hebrew word meaning healing, relief…

According to the Mayo Clinic in one of its Healthy Lifestyle articles (Art. 20044456), Laughter is a great stress reliever…

Its short term benefits include physical changes within in the body as the person, as we laugh…

*Laughter stimulates organs, heart, lungs, and muscles, enhancing oxygen intake.

*Laughter increases the release of endorphins to the brain.

*Laughter increases your heart-rate and blood pressure, and then settles down your stress responses.

*Laughter increases blood circulation and helps muscle relaxation.

Its long-term benefits include:

*Laughter improves the immune system by helping to release neuropeptides which help to fight stress and consequently more serious illnesses.

*Laughter enables the body to produce its own natural pain-killers and also helps to break pain cycles within the body, helping to break pain-spasm cycles caused by common muscle disorders.

*Laughter creates a natural ability to cope with difficult situations.

*Laughter offers a natural connection to other people, improving relationships.

*Laughter lessens symptoms of depression and anxiety, improving moods.

Hmmmmm, didn’t I read this somewhere before?

A happy heart is like good medicine. But a broken spirit drains your strength. Proverbs 17:22 (ICB)

“A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life…” Proverbs 14:30 (TLB)

Laughter is a Gift

Our loving God is faithful to give to His children every tool we need to live this life in abundance, even in the most difficult and the most pain-filled times. Our loving God is faithful to give to His children every tool we need to live this life in abundance, even in the times of happy circumstances, for the joy comes not from circumstances, conditions, positions, events, or happenings…but it comes from the wealth and riches of the Giver of Life, the Creator of Life, the One True God.

His Word provides us and gives to each one of us as we connect, abide, and live in relationship with the Word of God…He gives to each one of us the tools we need to live this life in abundance.

Laughter is Healing

Bill and I have a wonderful, dear friend and employee who recently had a heart issue and we thank our Almighty God that the condition was recognized and treated and corrected…We are so thank-filled for her life and for the relationship that we have had through the years. We love doing life with her…and we look forward to more years of living with, working with, and laughing with her! When we do life with people, in God’s economy of abundance, laughter comes and laughter heals!

“…but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 (ESV)

Oh, Where is My Bumper?

As we drove home that evening last week, I began to remind Bill of the bumper story…the details of my loss, and my search for my bumper. I started laughing…and he laughed as he listened to my account which he had not heard before. He just ordered the bumper, he just paid the bill for which I am grateful, but my wonderful husband did not have the benefit of the “good laugh” about my ridiculous behavior and story. I laughed hysterically from down deep inside and he gave me the “You are crazed” look…as he joined me in laughing…Only one of us had the fountain of tears running down the face when we drove into our driveway but we both laughed…and it felt good…and I joyfully wiped away the dampness on my face as the Tears of Laughter had trickled down…with the very good, hearty, life-giving laughter, because of my crazy…ridiculous story… Laughter felt good to both of us! And yes, through the years, I have learned to laugh at myself…and honestly, it’s a good thing that I can laugh at me, because I have had a lot of opportunity to practice. And I have learned to graciously accept the fact that my crazy stories and incidents have also provided opportunities for laughter for my family through the years. Watching how my family has laughed, something tells me that God chuckles at the silliness of this daughter…He watches and oversees His children as they Live…as they Love…as they Laugh…and I believe that He laughs with us!

Yes, did I mention that I love silliness…that I love laughter?

I pray today that each one of us will take ourselves less seriously and laugh more. I pray that in the very hard, difficult circumstances, that we will allow God to wrap His arms of love around us and that we can laugh in the face of hurt, discouragement, disease, difficulty…

I am so thankful that our loving God is faithful to give to His children every tool we need to live this life in abundance, even in the most difficult and the most pain-filled times. Our loving God is faithful to give to His children every tool we need to live this life in abundance, even in the times of happy circumstances, for the joy comes not from circumstances, conditions, positions, events, or happenings…but it comes from the wealth and riches of the Giver of Life, the Creator of Life, the One True God.

And, I am thankful for the gift of laughter that our grand-children bring into our lives…I am thankful for their silly games…I am thankful for each friend I have as we laugh together…I am thankful for my children and their wonderful spouses and the laughter we share…I am thankful for the love of my life, my husband, and for the moments of laughter we share. And most of all, I am thankful that we have a Loving Father who gives the medicine we need to give us life in abundance; He gave His Son, Yeshua Christ, who came in the flesh to laugh and to cry with mankind…understanding completely…completely…

May we live our days with laughter and joy…May we sing happy songs…so that other people will see the great things that our Mighty God does…so that they will seek after our Mighty God…

I pray that you live your days in deep, heart-felt, gratitude for your God, counting your blessings as you Live Well…and as you Laugh Well.

Abundant laughter and joy,