Ha Ha. Hee hee hee. Ho Ho Ho. Tee hee.

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if there was no laughter? What would happen if we weren’t able to utter sounds from our bellies that peal across the sound waves?

One morning over breakfast, my girlfriend, Sharon (who could make the most curmudgeonly among us laugh), was making me laugh so hard that I realized what a gift laughter is. Sharon and I share a lot of “girlfriend stories,” stories that are full of emotion, whether it’s happiness or sadness. If you were blessed enough to be sitting next to us, you would hear the tears dropping on our bacon and eggs as we told each other our stories. The inevitable laughter that is spawned by our stories brings us closer together and has created a bond between us like only “super glue” laughter can do.

Laughter is one of the most healing things I think we do for ourselves. When my sister-in-law, Mary, died last year, the whole family had gathered at my brother’s house. The tears were flowing freely over Mary’s sudden death, and we collectively knew that the gift of her laughter was never going to be heard again. Mary was one of those women who could give you “one of those looks” and you would start laughing—usually not at an opportune time, but at the time of her choosing. She would get you going by telling you some crazed tale of her students and how she handled the situation in her loving style. One of my favorites was about the time she called the cops on one of her students who was acting up—only to find out that she had actually called Andy, my brother. As we sat there crying, we started to tell the “tales,” our favorite Mary stories that made us laugh the hardest. The competition was on, and the stories were plentiful. The sad tears mixed with the laughter tears and a special healing of the heart started to happen.

Laughter is a rare emotion, which takes a lot of our energy to produce and yet pays you back tenfold in the energy it gives you. Laughter connects us as human beings, especially when we pick on our own frailties and shortcomings. I was raised in a family where teasing took on a whole new definition. If there was even the slightest opening for a jab, it was seized upon in a moment’s notice. I pitied the person who walked into our house and took any of it seriously. At home is where I learned to laugh at myself.

Laughter can diffuse many stressful moments. When I was a manager, the staff meeting was my favorite meeting of the week. Depending upon the day—or the rumor spreading around the organization—we could laugh so hard that we would be heard almost around the building. I always encouraged my managers who reported to me to tease me just as much as (if not more than) I teased them. Needless to say, they were artful at this skill. They could make remarks that could get us going for what seemed to be hours. And it was not uncommon for those who passed by our meeting room to stick their heads in, just to find out what was going on. The laughter helped to relieve some of the stress on the job, and I believe it also helped us to sharpen our focus, boost productivity and become a truly cohesive team.

I thank the Lord for the gift of laughter. I thank Him that we can make the sounds from our belly that fill up every nook and cranny of our beings with joy. Laughter is a gift we should share time and time again. Yeee haa haa!

This article is dedicated to my sister-in-law, Mary Rush, who died on May 18, 2004 of a massive heart attack. To this day, her laughter is still missed by all who were fortunate enough to know and love her. Mary, I love you!