Showing posts with label smile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smile. Show all posts

Thursday, October 28, 2010

make me laugh

“Don’t forget: ‘I’m gonna git you sucka’ is on tonight.”

The note from my wife Paula still tickles me to no end. You see, she knew I’d find a reminder to watch that movie funny. For the record, I did and still do.

I love to laugh, and as often as possible. Maybe you do, too. I suspect there are a lot of us out there.

Because of that I have an assignment for you today: Make someone laugh. At the very least, make them smile. Why? Well, to be blunt life stinks sometimes. Who would dare argue with that conclusion?

So why not take a minute and brighten someone’s day by making them laugh? How you do it is entirely up to you. It could be a phone call, an email, a Facebook page post, the sky’s the limit.

And the strategy is also up to you: Will it be a joke, a funny anecdote or a silly photo? Again, whatever you think will make the person laugh, go for it.

For instance, a friend called earlier today to say he had called the city to complain about a neighbor's dog. Apparently it was really wreaking havoc in the area. The city acted promptly and sent someone from animal control to check things out. When my friend returned from running an errand, he found a note inside his screen door. It seems animal control ticketed him as well, for not having licenses and collars for his cats.

My friend laughed at the irony of being punished for trying to do a good deed, but the story was also funny because the animals weren't even his. He was merely feeding feral cats.

Why did he call and tell me that? Because he knew I’d get a kick out of it. We shared a laugh and went back to our days, but I’m still smiling even though the call was hours ago. That’s the power of a good laugh.

But if you need another reason for going out of your way to brighten someone else’s day, how about this? Doing so is a way to express your love for the other person.

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”1

My wife and friend did what they did because they knew I’d find it funny and they care about me.

Take it from me: It felt good to laugh and even better to know they cared enough to try and brighten my day. When somebody makes me laugh it’s a wonderful gift, a gift that I treasure.

So who are you going to make laugh today? And how are you going to do it?

“I’m gonna git you sucka.”

1 Thessalonians 3:12

Friday, August 27, 2010

the power of a smile

Guess what happened to me yesterday: Something so wonderful, so encouraging and so energizing that I’m still on a high this morning.

I got a smile. Actually, I got two smiles.

They came from a friend, but were totally unexpected. And boy, did they ever come at just the right time. It’s amazing what a smile can do, isn’t it? For instance, a smile for a people-weary retail worker can do wonders. And a smile for someone with health problems or relationship problems, oh my.

A smile at just the right time is like rocket fuel for the soul. A smile is encouraging. A smile is an act of kindness.

I’m reminded of a couple of verses from the Bible: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”1

God comforts us. We all get that. But we have a responsibility to pass that comfort on to someone else. And that comfort could mean looking someone in the eyes and consciously letting the corners of our mouth rise towards our eyebrows.

A smile. Pass it on.

BTW, did I tell you that I got two of them yesterday? Just saying.

1 2 Cor 1:3-4