Laughing seems difficult for me right now. I almost didn’t write this though I felt my Dad intentionally gave me this word. Dad loved rocks with words inscribed on them. He put these rocks everywhere as reminders of how to live. When we had a meal together as a family after Dad died, Mom placed some of Dad’s rocks in little bags on our plates for all of us to open. Family members opened their bags and found colorful rocks with words such as peace, hope, remembrance, joy. I opened mine and found the word laugh. It was on a brown stone, and brown isn’t even in my top 25 favorite colors. I wanted to trade with some else. But then I thought, Dad, is fully alive and near to me. What if he wanted me to have this brown stone with a word I don’t particularly reflect very well right now? I am more serious than he was. Maybe I should set this as an intention to laugh and find ways to laugh even when life is hard.

I think Jesus laughed a lot. It doesn’t say this in scripture, but he seemed so outside the box, especially in contrast to the Pharisees who never laughed or chuckled. I think it’s pretty funny that He silences the Pharisees when they give him a Denarii and try to trap him in a trick question. Him saying, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s,” is such a perfect mic drop; it makes me laugh.

When Dad died, Jay and all the family worked to help his children walk through the intensive grieving process. My mom told Jay’s son Kingston, the body is like a shell, imagine like a walnut shell. The shell is left behind, and the true essence of the person goes to God. Kingston loved this image and said if the body is like a walnut shell, Papa was one good nut!!

Laughing when life is painful seems difficult, but it might be one of the best medicines for a grieving soul.

 “You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” — Psalm 30:11

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