When Matt was first diagnosed I found myself repeatedly watching Jimmy Valvano’s 1993 ESPY Awards speech. Here’s the passage I remember most:
And when people say to me, “How do you get through life?” Each day’s the same thing. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think, you should spend some time in thought. And number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears. Could be happiness or joy, but think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.
Laugh, think, cry – we did a lot of that when Matt was ill. Thinking and crying come easy; it’s the laughing part we need to pay more attention to. Sure life can suck at times, but as I’ve said before in this blog, God could never have intended us to live in constant misery.
Honestly, I do wonder why there aren’t more passages in the Bible that aren’t just funny. If we’re made in God’s image then he certainly must have a good sense of humor. Have you ever heard a baby laugh? The sound is infectious, and instantly evokes a reciprocal response. Ever wonder what God’s laugh must sound like?
So today I remember Jimmy Valvano’s speech. And I choose to laugh at the wonderful world God has gifted us.
Groucho Marx