Proverbs 14:13 “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.”
This passage from the Bible came to life in my home at my last support group meeting. We meet twice a month and during that time my husband is banished to the comfort of our bedroom. He actually enjoys this time of lying in bed and watching all the sports he can possibly watch in those couple of hours. After the departure of the last mom my husband came out and asked, “What kind of support group are you running here? I thought these were grieving women; I heard nothing but women laughing.” God has given us so many different emotions. Our emotions in grief are often all over the place, but most people would be surprised to find laughter in a room full of grieving moms. Laughter is a great stress release and a way to connect to each other. It is a way to see the absurd things that happen in our everyday lives. Even in our grief there are funny things that do happen and it is okay to laugh. It offers us healing in these dark times and helps us move forward in our grief. This time of laughter might only give us a temporary release from our pain but it is much needed. It has been said that children laugh four hundred times a day. Adults laugh only six to seven times a day. Maybe that is why the Lord instructs us to change and become like little children. It felt wonderful to watch each woman as they opened their hearts to the possibility of having joy, if even for a few minutes. What my husband heard was laughter, but what he did not see were the tears shed on either side of the laughter.
Lord, help us to open up our hearts and our mouths to hear ourselves laugh even in our grief!
-- Michele
