Wednesday, February 2, 2011

And a little child shall lead us...



I heard a little child today, and I had to turn aside to see the sight for myself. That's what Moses did when he saw the burning bush, remember? Something caught his attention, then he deliberately turned to pay attention. Life gives us moments - large and small - where we choose a response. How many times do we miss the moment because we are preoccupied or too busy to take notice. Far too many, I'm afraid....so many, that we get used to it and pass them off as insignificant. Sometimes our filters are so restrictive that we do not even notice our surroundings.

But today, I caught a little sparkle from a stranger's pixie dust. A little tidbit of a girl was standing between a man and woman in a booth, and she had her own little laugh fest going on in the Beagle Bagel. She was laughing that throw-your-head-back kind of laughter and couldn't seem to stop. She had laughed herself silly. We can remember moments like that and smile at the simple joy.

Laughter is good medicine. A healthy heart holds both joy and heartache. In the most dire circumstances, we can still find delight in something.

Most of us have had the embarrassing experience of inappropriate laughter that may not be so inappropriate after all. There is an invisible release valve that is tripped, I suspect, when we have a good laugh....or a good cry. The physiological explanations for it I will leave to someone else. All we really need to remember is to look for smilestones in each day - little signposts along the way that highlight reasons for joy in the heart - and be willing to crack yourself up from time to time.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

2 comments:

  1. i am so lucky to live with your son who is the best at making me laugh uncontrollably. it really is the best medicine!

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  2. I always seem to get the giggles at the wrong time :) I wonder if that is genetic?

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