Laughter..... if I had to define my existence, it would in some respect reflect an unending search for laughter. Laughter is the sound of a souls singing. In that respect, my life is blessed by several members of Gods own chorus.

Laughing is pretty much universal..... but being funny is unique. I was born to one of the worlds best comedians. If my mother had married Ricky Ricardo the world would be a different place. Making others laugh involves a risk. Not everyone has the courage to face the risk inherent in trying to make others laugh (ever tell a joke and mess it up? That silence is it's own mini version of Hell). My mother has the most child like willingness to offer attempts at making others laugh........... and subsequently she is almost universally successful. That has lasted most of a lifetime.

Mom had no trouble entertaining 2 sons and a daughter when we were young, but she is equally as successful now that we are grown and have a much more sophisticated understanding of humor...... well, at least until we are around Mom. Then perhaps it erodes to just silly. That alone is a gift beyond comprehension. How many folks do you feel comfortable in being silly around. I am not sure what the mechanism is for making others willing to loose self awareness, but my Mom is a carrier............... and a blessing to my soul.

Laughter is what binds us. Who can ever forget those moments that you laughed so hard you could not catch your breath. Laughter may well be the milestones by which we can measure the years. One of my earliest memories was as a young boy playing with Tonka trucks under a tree on a street that is now underwater just down the road from the Kentucky State Penitentiary. A bird relieved himself on my cousin, and he looked up and said something about "Go ahead, do it again, everyone else does....." This was at maybe 5 or 6 years of age. So much of my formative years was spent in the company of my cousins and Brother. Sadly, the subject matter of what we laughed about has not changed much over the years, but we still manage to get together and each visit is blessed with laughter.

Most every heart ache in my life has been mitigated with laughter. When my Brother and I finally find something in the most tragic of situations to laugh at, then I know we will survive. I thought my military brothers invented "politically incorrect" humor. My Brother and I perfected it. I suspect that most anything, given enough time can eventually be made light of. We may push the time frame a little. I watched an interview with Mel Brooks once where he was asked why in some of his productions he made fun of the Nazis (and especially Adolph Hitler). His response has been something that has always stuck with me:

"Rhetoric does not get you anywhere,because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. But if you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance."

Seems to me, the best way to mitigate hurt and hate is with God's own gift, the music of the soul.