A Giggle Box

“Laughter is the best medicine.”

So, I just finished a record-holding phone conversation with my dear friend. I also had a sweet revelation upon hanging up. 

Wait! What just happened?!

Although I find many things are different about my life now, and while they often seem to be mostly negative things, I noticed something quite different tonight. A delightfully, beautiful thing.

True, it’s not nearly as easy to laugh these days as it used to be. Most of the time, I can only muster up a surface laugh. The fake-it-till-you-make-it type. Yet, tonight I realized, with the help of my delightfully, hilarious friend, that in those rare moments when I really do laugh - the genuine type - it feels amazing. 

Refreshing. Real. Strengthening. 

Yes, it’s indeed different...in a positive way. 

Ecclesiastes 3:4, “...a time to weep a time to laugh...”

Job 8:21, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter...”

I guess you could say that I appreciate giggles and laughter on an entirely different level than ever before. It’s kind of like I’d imagine myself feeling if I would win the lottery. Ecstatic. Maybe it’s a little gift I've discovered, left behind by this terrible companion called Grief. I know I wouldn’t have discovered it and experienced it so deeply if not for this very, dark season through which I’m walking. 

Maybe this sounds strange, but if you’ve ever lost your “giggle” before, you’ll know what an important find this is for me. A real giggle in the midst of a hard, ugly season. What a special gift I’ve found! Thank you, my friend for helping me uncover this revelation. I was on a scavenger hunt and didn't realize it!

Maybe I’m even kind of like a child on Christmas morning, I find myself eagerly awaiting the next moment in which the gift can be opened again. Anticipating. Oh, to find these sweet moments of joy amid the consuming pain and tears. What a blessing that God has wrapped it all up together for me.

Do you need a pause in the "overwhelm" or grief in your life? Do you need to spend a moment giggling? I hope you will be brave and find your gift too. It's awkward, but necessary. It's difficult to find, but so fulfilling. I hope you'll open yours today, and if not today, as soon as possible. It's God's will. 

The gift of a giggle box.