Have you had a good laugh lately? I am talking about a real, tummy juggling crack up.  Hope so, because it is good for you! Dictionaries tell us that laughter is an audible expression, or appearance of merriment or happiness or an inward feeling of joy and pleasure.

Scientists tell us that laughter is a rhythmic, vocalized, expiratory and involuntary action. Apparently when we laugh, some 15 different facial muscles contract and your epiglottis half closes our larynx making you gasp for air. This lack of air may cause your face to turn red or purple and tears may flow. All this happens as we giggle or guffaw our way around life. And it is a good thing!

Doctors tell us that endorphins are released when we laugh. Endorphins are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. They are the body’s own natural pain medication. They produce a kind of analgesia and a sense of well-being. The bottom line is…laughing makes us feel better and it is good for us.

So why don’t we laugh more often? Truth is a baby starts to giggle just a few weeks after birth. By the time they are four months old, they are laughing once an hour. And those cute preschoolers are happier and healthier than you and I. All because they have learned to delight in life and laugh a lot!

Psalm 126:2 reminds us that laughter is the sign that our hearts are full of joy. And all of us should express our joy as we remember how the Lord has blessed us. “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done some great things for them.”

                        Knock, Knock.

                        Who is there?

                        Norma Lee

                        Norma Lee who?

                        Normally I don’t do jokes, but today we all need to laugh!!