Learn to Laugh

I was reading my sister's blog this morning and she talked about laughing at those things that sometimes make you want to cry. It reminded me of my favorite talk by an apostle Elder Wirthlin. I know I have mentioned the talk in my blog before, but I have to share this little snipppet because it made me laugh and was a good reminder:

"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 loading up our children in a station wagon and driving to Los Angeles. There were at least nine of us in the car, and we would invariably get lost. Instead of getting angry, we laughed. Every time we made a wrong turn, we laughed harder.

Getting lost was not an unusual occurrence for us. Once while heading south to Cedar City, Utah, we took a wrong turn and didn’t realize it until two hours later when we saw the “Welcome to Nevada” signs. We didn’t get angry. We laughed, and as a result, anger and resentment rarely resulted. Our laughter created cherished memories for us.

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."

Elder Wirthlin was awesome. He often made me laugh during conference. Miss him. It's a good talk. If you want to read it, here it is: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/come-what-may-and-love-it?lang=eng&query=come+may+love+wirthlin  

I also love this bit here:

"Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others."

I think that is so true. I know the trials and struggles I have gone through has helped me understand others who have gone through similar circumstances and has helped me have compassion for them. I am grateful for that.

Take a moment to laugh today. (It's good for your heart, too!)

Snow Day

Yesterday was a fabulous snow day. We don't get much snow in Maryland - especially not in March. Last March we were already camping. So the heavy snow was a pleasant surprise. Just for yesterday.( In case you're listening Mother Nature, I don't want more snow; we can go back to Spring.) The kids and I sported our snow duds and ran outside. It was the perfect snow - you know the sticky-snowman-making-snowball-throwing kind. And it wasn't too cold either.

Yes, he has baggies on his hands. Don't judge me. It works! His hands were warm and dry.

Also, isn't that snowsuit awesome? Thanks to my friend, Staci, he has the nicest snowsuit a baby has ever had. 

Belle wanted to make a snow seat. 

Belle and I made a snowman, too. I think she and I could have stayed out there all day.

However, Evee and Liam could not. 

After about half an hour they wanted to go back in, and waited on the steps until I was done playing. 

Will and I crossed paths on my way in. He finished doing his paperwork for his job, and then went out and played with Belle. They made a snow tunnel.

"Daddy, I want it to be this big."

End result. It went all the way through. The kids loved it.

Later that evening Belle was responsible for choosing the activity for Family Home Evening. She wanted to go back outside and play. I could tell Will was begrudging the idea (as was I on the inside), but we did it anyway. And it was so much fun. We had a massive snowball fight. My favorite was Liam. When you would throw snow at him he would pick up a speck of snow and try to toss it. Hilarious! 

Fun times in the snow, but I'm ready for camping weather now. So bring it on!

Embracing our Differences

I am really big on trying to understand one another. Sometimes I think when someone is different than us we feel uncomfortable talking about our differences, so we pretend they aren't there. But just because you are pretending doesn't make it true. So.... I issue a challenge for you readers (and myself) this week:

If there is someone you know, or only kind of know, take that chance. Ask them about their thing that makes them different from you. Whether they be from a different religion, have a disability or a child with one, are a different race, or from a different nationality. Ask them about how these differences affect them. Go ahead. Most people are happy to share these parts of their life. It's scary to approach someone else about it, but if someone asks you, it opens that door.

As cliche as it sounds, let's embrace our differences instead of being so afraid of them.