‘May God Smile Upon You’: A Healthy Laugh |
“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old; you grow old when you stop laughing.”
– attributed to George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950)
There are over 1 million depictions of God on the Internet. I have never seen one of Him smiling. And yet, blessing our children, we pray “May God smile upon you.” (Alternate translations are “May God shine on you” or “…shed his light on you.”)
In view of never seeing Him smile, how realistic is that prayer?
What is realistic is that the first time, indeed every time for the rest of our lives, that we hear our children laugh, we realize God has blessed us. Laughter is as divine a gift as Manna.
My medical school pal Larry was dying. He wanted to talk to me. What could I tell him that would be helpful?
He wanted to live long enough to witness the bar mitzvahs of his grandsons whom he had taught to Layn, but he knew better than I, it was unlikely. We couldn’t speak of the future; we didn’t want to speak of the present. So, we spoke of the past.
For months, at least weekly, we spoke as long as his strength permitted. No philosophy, no insights, just laughter. It wasn’t therapy, but Larry found it therapeutic.
So did I. I told him honestly I looked forward to it more than he did (which made him laugh even more.)
Visiting patients, in hospital or home, in person or by phone, laughing together revitalizes them, and us.
In Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins claims laughter is “Internal jogging”, precipitating endorphin- release, “A bulletproof vest” protecting us from our........