Laughter
The cheerful heart has a continual feast. - Proverbs 15:15
A few years ago, I asked my three kids what things they most enjoyed doing together as a family. I anticipated they'd say amusement parks, restaurants, and trips. I wasn't prepared for their answers. . .
My kids prefer UNO to Chuck E. Cheese? They'd rather go on a hike than to Disneyland? They asked for togetherness, for time, for fun. Ultimately, they value the same thing I treasured with my grandpa: the simple gift of laughter.
Laughter gives life. When our family laughs together, we make memories, and our hearts are bound by joy. Laughter doesn't deny the hardships and struggles. Like, Grandpa, we face illness and pain and an unknown future, And yet, because of Jesus, we can still laugh. Laughter lightens the load.
Laughter makes memories. When they're grown, I want (my kids) to remember our home as a place that rang with laughter. I want them to recall the mealtimes when our sides ached, not from too much food, but from too much fun. I want them to know how much their dad and I simply enjoyed them.
"You make me laugh," we tell them. "You bring me joy."
But laughter also takes time. Maybe that's why we don't always prioritize it as we should. Amusement park fun is easy enough to contrive, but true laughter needs time and intention. Life-giving laughter happens when we linger around the family dinner table, or spend a few extra minutes at bedtime each night, or turn off the TV and snuggle on the couch. Memory-making laughter happens in relationships, and relationships take time.
For the family who laughs together, it's all the pleasure of Thanksgiving dinner without all the prep and cleanup. Every day is a celebration, regardless of the circumstances. Every day is life-giving and memory-making in a home filled with laughter.
-"Laugh" by Amy Storms; Always There pp. 176-177
A few years ago, I asked my three kids what things they most enjoyed doing together as a family. I anticipated they'd say amusement parks, restaurants, and trips. I wasn't prepared for their answers. . .
My kids prefer UNO to Chuck E. Cheese? They'd rather go on a hike than to Disneyland? They asked for togetherness, for time, for fun. Ultimately, they value the same thing I treasured with my grandpa: the simple gift of laughter.
Laughter gives life. When our family laughs together, we make memories, and our hearts are bound by joy. Laughter doesn't deny the hardships and struggles. Like, Grandpa, we face illness and pain and an unknown future, And yet, because of Jesus, we can still laugh. Laughter lightens the load.
Laughter makes memories. When they're grown, I want (my kids) to remember our home as a place that rang with laughter. I want them to recall the mealtimes when our sides ached, not from too much food, but from too much fun. I want them to know how much their dad and I simply enjoyed them.
"You make me laugh," we tell them. "You bring me joy."
But laughter also takes time. Maybe that's why we don't always prioritize it as we should. Amusement park fun is easy enough to contrive, but true laughter needs time and intention. Life-giving laughter happens when we linger around the family dinner table, or spend a few extra minutes at bedtime each night, or turn off the TV and snuggle on the couch. Memory-making laughter happens in relationships, and relationships take time.
For the family who laughs together, it's all the pleasure of Thanksgiving dinner without all the prep and cleanup. Every day is a celebration, regardless of the circumstances. Every day is life-giving and memory-making in a home filled with laughter.
-"Laugh" by Amy Storms; Always There pp. 176-177
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