The Joy of Laughter

"Long face, rough manner, ridiculous appearance, unfriendly attitude. Is that how you hope to inspire others to follow Christ?" - St. Jose Maria Escriva

The other day, after an almost wistful conversation with my husband I asked him " so where do we go from here?"  He stared at me for a moment, a thoughtful glint in his eyes then he replied " well, I guess we have to stay married for the rest of our lives now, we seem to be a good fit!"

And this is how we have endured 17 years together - laughing through the travails, the blood, sweat and tears on this side of heaven.  Don't get me wrong, we aren't always in the throes of hysterical joy.  Our faces can be sometimes long as we shoulder the afflictions of real life. But I don't think we have ever gone through a whole day without finding the smallest joy to share a much needed laugh.  When those seasons of lament threaten to overstay it's welcome I try to remind myself of this quote from St. Teresa of Avila : " from sour faced saints, O Lord, deliver us!"

For the many moments of laughter etched in the walls of this home,  for the humor that reminds us not to always take everything (including ourselves) so seriously,  for the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is joy and the virtue of cheerfulness whose perfection we desire,  today I am truly thankful.

source