A Lifetime of Laughter

I’ve always loved laughter. Our home growing up was full of it. For 9 years, between the ages of 2 and 11, I lived with my Dad and my older sister, Kristen. My dad got remarried when I was 11, and several years later my baby sister, Tori, was born.

Going from a family of 3 to 5 brought on some growing pains, some of them fairly severe for me personally, but looking back I can honestly say I don’t know what it’s like to live without laughter in my heart and home. I also know I couldn’t exist without it!

My dad, dignified and composed to most of the outside world, has always loved to “chuck”, as he calls it. Chucking, for those of you who don’t know, is a laugh on steroids.

The word is technically obsolete as it refers to laughter (yes, I looked it up), but in our family, at least with my dad, “chucking” is a daily occurrence. It’s the kind of laugh that turns your face multiple shades of red and makes the veins on your neck pop out.

My older sister has the best belly laugh known to man. She’s taken the everyday belly laugh to a whole new level and perfected it in her own magical way. If you’re blessed enough to know Kristen, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

She has the kind of laugh that if you hear it across a crowded room (and you will because it’s that fantastic), you can’t help but laugh right along with her, simply because she’s enjoying herself so much.

When Mom laughs, she’s normally quiet. She’s either shaking her head back and forth, lips pursed, trying to figure out if she should scold Dad (because 9 times out of 10 all the chucking and belly laughs occur because he’s trying to aggravate somebody), or she’ll sit and laugh calmly, waiting on the rest of us to regain our composure.

“Oh, Baby!” she’ll exclaim, when he has indeed done or said something she disapproves of, which makes Dad chuck even more.

If you pay attention, though, she almost always ends up with a smile on her face anyhow. When Mom REALLY gets to laughing though, she turns into a knee-slapper, which is always a joy to see.  

It took a while longer for me to truly appreciate great moments of laughter with my little sister. With 15 years between us, Tori was born smack dab in the middle of my tumultuous teen years.

The fact that she had colic as an infant didn’t help either. I love her to pieces, but my, oh, my, that girl had a deafening scream that was like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Our grandpa used to say, “Sing, Baby, sing!” when she’d start crying. Who knew she’d end up having the voice of an angel? Now I could listen to her sing all day long.

Anyhow, I’ll never forget the first time that Tori and I had a true bonding experience revolving around laughter. She was an early teen and had come to spend the night at my house. I had my own daughter by that point, and she was down for the night.

Tori and I stayed up to watch iCarly (because we’re awesome like that) and although I don’t even remember what took place in the show, we witnessed a scene with Spencer that opened a floodgate of giggles! We must’ve re-watched the same portion of that episode 10 times, laughing harder and harder each time. We laughed until we cried and our stomachs ached.

We finally sat in silence, not fully recognizing the significance of that moment, but somehow understanding that it was special. And it truly was.

I recognize it now as the bond of sisterhood being strengthened by the power of unbridled laughter. The kind of laughter that you only share with those you truly trust and are 100% comfortable with. Sure, it’s cheesy, but it’s also true.

That bond had always been there, of course, but it grew exponentially that night, and I’m truly grateful for it. Since then we’ve discovered that being awkward together comes naturally to us and almost always ends with ridiculous amounts of cackles and at least one of us snorting uncontrollably.

Me? Well, I’m a giggler. Growing up, I giggled All. The. Time.

I’d giggle when I thought something was funny, obviously, but also when I was scared. I’d giggle when I was nervous and when I felt awkward or out of place in public, which was also all the time.

Feeling angry? There’s a giggle for that! On the verge of tears? Why not giggle and see if that helps. {It doesn’t, by the way. Laughing while crying just makes you look insane.}

I’d giggle during church and got called out on it from the pulpit too many times to count. Let’s not even talk about funerals.

The one and only detention I received in all my years at a public school was for giggling. Seriously. “But, he made me laugh!” I tried explaining to the teacher. She wasn’t nearly as amused as I was.

Needless to say, I didn’t earn the nickname “Giggle Box” for nothing.

Has life been perfect? Absolutely not. I learned at a very young age, however, that it feels a lot better to laugh than to cry. To smile, than to frown.

We can’t always control the storms of life that come our way, but we do have control over how we react to them.

So, here’s my challenge to you: Make a choice today to focus on the good, no matter what’s going on in your life.

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, sad, or worried, find something that makes you laugh and have at it! If this isn’t something you do often, you might feel silly, but that’s ok.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of memes. They’re pointless, really, but I get a kick out of them, so I have no issue using them to help me release pent up emotions!

I’ve also found that a single phone call to my sister, Kristen, which will undoubtedly include multiple bouts of laughter, always leaves me feeling better!

Who is that person for you? Reach out to them during difficult times and remember to be there for them when the tables are turned and they call on you!

Everybody needs somebody.

Will laughter make all your problems disappear? We all know the answer to that is a resounding ‘No’. Will laughter calm your nerves and increase feelings of hope, positivity, and optimism? In my experience, the answer has always been ‘Yes’.

The Bible says in Job 8:21 “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” (NIV)

If you’re in a tough spot right now, just hold on. God’s got you!

My prayer for you is that laughter becomes an integral part of your everyday life. That many years from now you’ll be able to look back and know that although life brought you major ups and downs, you faced them all head on, with a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, because you never forgot the One who has always, and will always hold all your tomorrows.