Lot’s of Love, Lot’s of Laughs!

Feb 23, 2010 Tuesday Night Relief Society Activity

Thank you to Sister Fox, Sister Gast, and all those who helped out, submitted stories, and attended the activity! It was wonderful!

We laughed – good laughs – belly laughs – laughing together together. We enjoyed each other’s company. We were reminded to be positive. Laughing does our minds, bodies, and spirits well! “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”  Proverbs 17:22

If you missed it and want a good laugh just ask… Sister Lambdin about a traveling chicken, Sister Skane about spinach and milk, Sister Kimball about playing footsie, Sister Moss about “prison” fences, Sister Tholen about loud AMEN’s, Sister Coyle about pant seems and many many more hilarious stories!

Sister Deandrade shared with us the importance of having a good sense of humor –here are the highlights:

“If We Can Laugh at It, We Can Live with It” Humor can improve our perspective and lighten our load. Humor helps. Humor heals. In fact, many medical studies have linked laughter with better physical and mental health. Such studies confirm the scripture that states, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Prov. 17:22). Humor allows us to view our lives in a more positive light, deal with personal conflicts and intolerance, and cope with trials and frustrations that might otherwise seem overwhelming. As we are told in Ecclesiastes, there is “a time to laugh” (Eccl. 3:4). President Gordon B. Hinckley affirmed the value of humor for all: “We’ve got to have a little humor in our lives. You had better take seriously that which should be taken seriously but, at the same time, we can bring in a touch of humor now and again. If the time ever comes when we can’t smile at ourselves, it will be a sad time.” Humor improves our attitude, strengthens our relationship skills, and helps us successfully cope with challenges. Whether we are experiencing an anxious moment on an airplane, trying to get around sibling rivalry, or just trying to handle the trials of everyday living, humor can be a constructive and beneficial part of our lives. If we can appropriately laugh at it, we can live with it. So go ahead and laugh—it’s good for you! Brad Wilcox, “If We Can Laugh at It, We Can Live with It,” Ensign, Mar 2000, 27

Another great quote:

Learn to Laugh: The first thing we can do is learn to laugh. Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim? There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh.

I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife. We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now, I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.

The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable. Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Come What May, and Love It,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 26–28

Other Talks and Church Articles that are a good read or would make a great Family Home Evening Lesson: Click on the colored title for a direct hyperlink to the article.

Get On with Our Lives, Steven E. Snow, Ensign, May 2009 Laughter and a good sense of humor can soften the bumps along life’s journey. He had a great love for the Lord and demonstrated strong, unbending faith with amazing good humor and grace.

Come What May, and Love It, Joseph B. Wirthlin Ensign November 2008 When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling

Is Anyone Laughing? Russell Wilcox, New Era, February 2007 It sounds like everyone enjoys the negative humor. Negative humor hurts, and the resulting wounds go deep.

The Power of Laughter, Gary K. Palmer Ensign, September 2007 Humor in the Home Humor, used with sensitivity, can unite spouses. The trick is finding humor in the event now.

Slow to Anger Gordon T. Watts, Ensign, February 2003 Use Humor Another tool that can turn the tide of anger into a calming wave of peace is the wise use of humor. Time and again he has used humor to defuse a tense moment.

If We Can Laugh at It, We Can Live with It, Brad Wilcox, Ensign, March 2000 We must be careful to distinguish between genuine humor, which everyone can enjoy, and hurtful humor, which is at someone else’s expense. In fact, he now serves as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, but President Boyd K. Packer still remembers the thoughtless words and mocking laughter. It is wise to use humor sparingly in Church settings, in talks, lessons, and so forth, and only humor of unquestionable good taste.

The Need for Balance in Our Lives James E. Faust , Ensign, March 2000 There is, however, a defense against adversity: humor. A thoughtful man said, “There is certainly no defense against adverse fortune which is, on the whole, so effectual as an habitual sense of humor.” For many years as I have blessed newborn children, including my own, I have blessed them with a sense of humor.

Sense of Humor, Family Home Evening Resource Book , 1997   “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine - Proverbs 17:22 Good humor truly is medicine to the soul. Humor can ease tension, relieve uncomfortable or embarrassing situations, change attitudes, generate love and understanding, and add sparkle to life. A properly developed sense of humor is sensitive to others’ feelings and is flavored with kindness and understanding.” “Sense of Humor,” Family Home Evening Resource Book, (1997),197

A Year’s Supply of Humor, Eileen Gibbons Kump, Ensign > August 1983 A sense of humor is not simply a gift bestowed on a few. A family’s humor storage is a delightful tool for creating humor in the home.

A Good Sense of Humor, Chris Crowe New Era, May 1986 What I didn’t understand then was that cutting humor isn’t good humor. Remember, too, that no matter what you see in the TV sit-coms and movies, put-down, cutting humor is not good humor.

A Serious Look at Humor Peter B. Rawlins New Era, August 1974 The suffering, the discouraged, and those who mourn can be cheered through humor. This can hardly be considered humor but is instead a cruel form of berating.