Lent 2015: things that make me laugh

I love to laugh but some days it's hard.  We all have days like that I'm sure. I guess that's what makes us human.  Tears and laughter sit side by side in this emotional roller coaster of life. Send in the clowns please. May the rain turn to sunshine. For all of you feeling sad may God send a rainbow, a promise of his favour. May we laugh together again soon.

Daddy on the train!

For those of you wondering why I haven't continued with my blogging every day through Lent unfortunately my father was taken ill. I have been visiting him most days for the 5 weeks that he was in hospital. At 4.45am on the 5th March he passed away. I held his hand as he slipped away. It was peaceful and my prayer of being there was answered. I think Dad had been waiting for me. My husband and I were only there 5 minutes before he died. 

I have written about my Dad before, you can find it here.

When I was a little girl I would wait for him to come home on the train. I could see the station from the bedroom window and would shout, "Daddy on the train!' when he came home. One evening there was no Daddy on the train, he had missed it, but that's another story. I wrote this poem in memory of Dad. It will be read out at his funeral which takes place on the 25th March, it would have been his 80th birthday on that day.



Daddy on the train!

"Daddy on the train!"
"Daddy on the train!"

I waited for you
As I called out your name
Home you would come
To give me a hug
You read me a story
And turned out the light
I always felt safe
When you held me tight.

"Daddy on the train!"
"Daddy on the train!"

You brought me books
And painting sets
Beano comics, Dandy too
And icecream cones
On sunny days
That dripped down my arms
And made a mess.
I'll never forget.

"Daddy on the train!"
"Daddy on the train!"

Memories live on
Although we can't be together
For walks in the summer
Or a drink in the pub
But the journey continues
And so will our love
Until we meet on the platform
In heaven above.

"Daddy on the train!"
"Daddy on the train!"

Tears of goodbye
Are never enough
There's a hole in my heart
A vast empty space
As I wave in the distance
I know you are there
waiting for me
As I call out your name.

"Daddy on the train!"
"Daddy on the train!"

copyright Revdjo 23/3/15

Lent 2015: things that make me laugh - the Easter Bunnie

I think I may have posted this image before but it does me chuckle. Bunnies seem a good thing to laugh at. I'm sure they don't mind. 

I can't understand why the Easter Bunny exists. But he doesn't you say.  Oh yes he does... He is not only alive and kicking in children's imaginations but also in consumerism. I'm sure we will soon be inundated with Easter bunnies  making an apearence in our shops as an alternative to Easter eggs and pictured on Easter cards. There is no Easter bunny in the Easter story so why has he hopped into the limelight? Answers on a postcard and deposited into the nearest rabbit hole.

Lent 2015: things that make me laugh - cartoons

You can't beat a good cartoon to make you laugh. Tom and Jerry, Roadruner; Tweetiepie and Sylvester the cat were favourites. I can't tell you when the last time I saw a cartoon was. Certainly it was some time ago. But why is that? Do we think we can't watch such things as an adult? Do we just get more serious as we get older and loose that inner child? What we laugh at changes as we get older. Tastes change. Life gets in the way.  I hope you have managed to laugh today evening it's been a tough day.

Lent 2015: things that make me laugh - my husband

My husband, John, always seems to make me laugh. We often laugh at the silliest of things. 

This evening I was eatting some grapes when one dropped from my hands and rolled across the floor. John jumped and said, 'I thought it was a mouse'! How on earth does a grape look look like a mouse? I couldn't help but laugh. 'It scared me' he chuckled. Today has been a good day. All age worship at church and lots of fun. No one really wanted to go home which is always a good sign. 

Worship doesn't have to be always serious, and neither should life. There are times when lament is appropriate such as, when someone dies in tragic circumstances. God has made us as emotional beings and yet  so often we try and deny our emotions. The British stiff upper lip is still alive and kicking in the UK. I am sure other countries and cultures are better at being honest with their emotions that we are here. God likes us to be honest with him and if our worship is to be heart felt then we must learn to laugh and indeed cry as we worship him in spirit and truth.

Lent 2015 21 February: things that make me laugh - Comedy

I found this statue of Charlie Caplin in London. Having my photo wth him was a must. The photo still makes me laugh. Watching Chaplin and Laural and Hardy and their capers was a must growing up. Other comedy classics such as Some Mothers do 'av 'em and Only Fools and Horses will forever remain in my memory. Chaplin waving his walking cane, Laural and Hardy pushing a piano up the stairs, Frank Spenser on roller skates, and Del Boy falling through the bar hatch as he eyes up some young lady all make me laugh. I'm sure we all have our favorate comedy classics. God has designed us to laugh, even when it is at ourselves, so why is it that most of us take life so seriously? Life is for living and enjoyng but why do we so often loose sight of that and whallow in our own sadness and discontent? We may never have any money, we may never meet the man or women of our dreams, we may never have perfect health but we have so many other things to be grateful for. 

So what's your favorate comedy? 

Lent 2015 20th February: Things that make me laught - cats!

Today has been a day of mixed emotions but there was still laughter. The sun was out and so I went into the garden for a short time to play a game with my two cats. Holly is particularly playful and loves to chase a squeaky mouse on a a string that I swing around in circles for her. It's not a real mouse you understand, although I am sure she would enjoy that as well! I have had other cast appear during this game wondering what the squeaking noise was, one even headbutted the back door trying to get in not realising the cat flap had been boarded up. Holly has very bad eye sight, I am surprised she manages to do what she does. Both cats like to turn somersaults in the air whilst running around chasing the 'mouse'. It always makes me laugh watching them having such fun. In case you are wondering this is Buddy in the photo. Yes, Buddy and Holly - that's my humour for you.

Sometimes life seems like you are running around in circles, history of course repeats itself. I hope that today has been a good day for you and that in amongst the racing around you have had chance to pause for a moment and to laugh. If you haven't managed it today why not take some time out tomorrow to have some fun.

Lent 19th February 2015: clowning around

I enjoyed gong to the circus as a child. I'm sure I still enjoy going to the circus but I can't say I've been for vet 30 years. My favourite act has to be the clowns, with their painted faces, red noses and oversized shoes. Maybe I just like seeing people trip up, get their feet stuck in buckets and have custard pies thrown in their faces? Maybe I like them because I to like to clown around and make people laugh.

As a teenager I had a collection of clown glasses and funny noses. I helped entertain a group of children with special needs ones with my clowning skills, or lack of them. Alas my collection of such things is no more, although I do have some spare bushy eyebrows and moustaches in a draw upstairs; best not to ask why... OK, OK... I was going to gate crash a men's breakfast at church suitable disguised as a man but I chickened out. 

It's easy to put on a fake smile and pretend to be happy. It's harder to laugh convincingly when you aren't happy. Laughter comes from deep inside the soul. There is nothing like a good belly laugh. Joy comes from a variety of things but for me true joy comes from knowing Jesus. I am sure he likes a good belly laugh to.

More laughter tomorrow. 

LENT 18th February 2015: The lama visit.

Today it is Ash Wednesday, it doesn't seem five minutes ago since the last Ash Wednesday. Where does time go? Last year I decided to blog every day through Lent on the theme of simple pleasures. You can find last years blog here if you want to have a look. I love to write but often lack the motivation to do so. In the hope of making writing more of a daily habit I thought I would blog every day through Lent again this year.

As a child I would forever be asking my parents, 'What can I draw?' I am still asking myself that question today as I continue to re-discover my drawing skills. Today I have asked myself the question, 'What can I write?' What would be a meaningful theme to blog on in the run up to Easter? Whilst I could blog on some deep theological subject I think it would be much more fun to blog on something humourous, after all the name of my blog is 'Spirituality and Hilarity'. Ecclesiastes 3 talks about there being a time for everything. It seems it is 'a time to laugh.' It may well also be a time to dance as well but I don't think that will transpose well to writing. I certainly will not be taking any photos or film footage of me dancing! If you are very unlucky you may get a photo of me laughing. Hmmm maybe I can record an audible giggle or two for your amusement.  Watch this space...

Humour is a funny thing. What one person finds funny another does not. What one person can laugh hysterically at another can find crass or in bad taste. I hope I don't offend anyone with my humour, sorry if I do. It is rare for me to laugh much at jokes. It is more situational humour or visual humour that makes me laugh. The sitcom Miranda makes me laugh out loud but so can putting clean sheets on the bed! Maybe I am a little odd, or maybe odd things make me laugh? Maybe you will have formed an opinion on that one by Easter, or maybe you will just have got bored and stopped reading? Let me know, or maybe not. 

Enough rambling lets get to the point of what has made me laugh recently. Today I went to see the lama. Why would a Baptist minister want to meet the lama? Why not. Anyway here he is, or should I say here they are (sorry not the best photo in the world). They didn't say very much, and didn't seem at all interested in me but they made me laugh, even if it was at my own silly joke. I tried whistling at them to get them to come closer (well it works with my cats) but they ignored me. (Yes, I do actually call my cats by whistling.) I tried taping on the barbed wire fence but still nothing. I then became self-conscious and started laughing at myself. I hope no one was looking at the slightly mad women laughing at herself. 

Tune in tomorrow for some more meanderings...

Lent 2014 - 11th April: shopping

One of life's simple pleasures is the occasional shopping trip. I'm not really a big shopper. I think my husband enjoys it more than me. Today I went to Derby to get my hair 'done' and to buy a present for a good friend, I hope she likes it, I also treated myself a little. My excuse was that I have gone down a dress size, surely worth a celebration. I say dress size but I can't recall the last time I wore a dress. I digress. Not everyone can afford to go shopping. Money is tight at the moment having been given notice from the church here in Burton. Money is tight for a lot of people but compare our living standards with those of other parts of the world such as, the favelas in Brazil, there is no comparison. We are blessed, truly blessed. Compare what we have with what our parents or grandparents had and again we are worlds apart. The world hurtles on at a tremendous pace. It is good to stop and appreciate the simple pleasures of our life and the abundant blessings that knock at our door day after day.

Lent 2014 - 7th April: hot water bottles

Today's simple pleasure is hot water bottles. I'm sure it should be warm enough to turn off my central hearing, alas it's not. I like my hot water bottle as it stays hot a number of hours. I think my cats like it to. There is something comforting about having warm toes and cuddling up to my hot water bottle. It doesn't have the same impact if it's cold or even lukewarm. If I find it cold at the bottom of my bed I normally give it a good kick out the end. The thud as it hits the ground normally brings a smile to my face, I'm not quit sure why I just think it's the distinctive sound. One of the letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation talks about our spiritual temperature. Only hot will do. I hope as you reflect through Lent your spiritual temperature and your faith has got hotter. If not why not? Don't be like the Luke warm church in Ladeocia that is lukewarm being neither hot not cold doesn't hack it with God. He wants our all.

Lent 2015 things that make me laugh (or not)

 

A modern painting 'Christ in Gethsemane' 

by Michael D O'Brian.

I am struck by the pain and agony that seems to be on Jesus' face as he thinks about what is to come. 

I should have posted this last year, maybe I did. Technology does funny things sometimes. It's not always easy to laugh sometimes pain and tears get in the pain. Laughter and tears perhaps belong together as part of the creative tension of life. Being human, and indeed being God, is not always easy.