This photo was taken a couple of years ago at Desoto State Park during the fall of the year while the Alabama foliage was busy altering its appearance like butterfly emerging from its cocoon.  Of course you can tell that I experimented with a couple of filters on the original photo to give it this playful look.  I loved the way the colors swirled around in the leaves as they boogied to the cool breeze blowing through the trees.  I sat and watched these leaves as they slowly moved in and out to the unhurried rhythm of the mountain stream flowing beneath their branches.  

        It was truly a gorgeous day, one that was just about perfect as my mind goes back to recall its events.  I remember the gourmet picnic of chicken fingers and French fries, the large rock which served as our dining table, the wonderful view of Little River Canyon and the companionship of my two daughters.  But the thing I remember most was the laughter that surrounded us and rose into the air as we enjoyed our small feast.  Everything seemed humorous on this day; the stories they told about school, my demonstration of the proper way to transform a fallen tree into a balance beam even my well-worn jokes were funny this special day.

        Thinking back to this day I am reminded once again of the importance of laughter and playfulness in our lives.  What would our lives be like if laughter was missing?  How miserable would we be, how lost would we feel, how intolerable would life seem if we never heard the sound of laughter?  In fact, I believe that we could just about count any day wasted in which we have not laughed well and often.  A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life.  Laughter adds richness, texture, and color to otherwise ordinary days. It is a gift, a choice, a discipline, and an art.

        Laughter not only makes life good, it is good for you; and often it is just as sacred to laugh as it is to pray.  I am told that laughing 100 times a day works the heart as much as exercising for ten minutes on a rowing machine.    Laughing out loud helps flush out the nervous system and might even be the most beautiful and beneficial therapy God ever granted humanity.  Laughing is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one spot.  So, let me ask you, have you laughed today?  What about yesterday?  What are you waiting on, loosen up and share a smile and a laugh with someone today.  What have you got to loose, remember, laughter is a choice.

Something to think about:

• You can tell a lot about a person by what he laughs at.

• Always laugh when you can; it is cheap medicine.

• Martin Luther said,” If you’re not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don’t want to go there.”  And “With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.”

• When you’re laughing, your attention is focused. You can’t do anything else. Everything else, whether it’s depression or stress, stops.

• Humor makes all things tolerable.

• He has achieved success that has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.

• Please, Lord, teach us to laugh again; but God, and don’t ever let us forget that we cried.

Can you feel me smiling?
Rickey Moore