October 28, 2024

The first time I met Mia, we had a lively conversation. She was from Germany, and although she had lived in America for many years, Germany was still her homeland. She loved her country and loved talking about it. I enjoyed her stories. You see, I live in a caring community. Someone from our hospitality committee regularly visits people living in assisted living, many of whom are lonely or never have visitors.

So, Mia and I became friends. After Mia celebrated 90-plus birthdays, she often reverted to telling her stories in German, forgetting that I couldn’t understand her. I reminded her, and she switched to English for a few sentences, and then German took over again. Finally, not wanting to keep bothering her, I quit reminding her and just listened to her talk. When she said something funny and laughed, I heartily laughed with her. I decided that laughter is a universal language.

In my book, “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” Grandson Kyle, who has the gift of making others laugh, pulled a fast one on me. It brought relief into a sad situation. God’s Word has this to say about laughter. “A merry heart does good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22.

Find something to laugh about today. It will do you good!

Charlotte

“Family Stories for God’s Glory,” is sold at Barnes and Nobel and Amazon.

May also be ordered from the author at: chburkholder12@gmail.com