laughter

i love the sound of my daughter’s laughter.
absolutely love it-
its like- better than any music i’ve ever heard.
i love it so much, that i do just about anything to hear it.
i’ll completely humiliate myself
or drop all sorts of cash on a random toy
if it will let me hear the sounds of her laughing.
i’ll totally wear myself out swinging her or tossing her
just to hear her laughing,
i have it recorded on my voicemail
and i listen to it from time to time.

and she loves to laugh.
she doesn’t just laugh, she squeals.
she shrieks with joy- she laughs until she’s out of breath.
its hilarious and wonderful.

tonight i was lying on the floor
and she was sitting on my stomach
and i was lifting her up over my head
so that she was upside down.
i’d let her head tap the floor and then i’d bring her back to my stomach.
she thought that was a crack up.

then she was laying on the floor and i was standing over her
dropping a stuffed animal onto her stomach and face.
it was bath-time, but she kept saying
“mmmm-oh da-da!” (more daddy!)
i couldn’t say no to a request like that!

i was thinking later-
when did i stop laughing like that?
when did things stop being hilarious?
when did i learn that laughing uncontrollably wasn’t cool?
i wish i could unlearn that!
i want to laugh like that again! it sounds like fun!
is there a connection between age and joy?
innocence and laughter?
peer-pressure and freedom?

if i, as jane’s father love to hear her laugh-
does my heavenly father love to hear me laugh?
does he delight on my joy?
i like this one:

psalm 30:11
“you turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.”

clothed with joy… that’s a cool picture-

and this one from jesus himself- laughter is a promise:

luke 6:21:
“blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

isaiah foretells that heaven will be a place of laughter:

isaiah 35:10:
“they will enter zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

that’s a cool picture too-
of everlasting joy as a crown-
and being taken away with joy and gladness-
like a 2-year old.

well- if i’m going to spend eternity clothed with joy
and overtaken with gladness,
i better start practicing now!
i better start laughing along with my heavenly father-
and make that promise made by the psalmist:

psalm 31:6
“i will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.”

so if you see me being happy or silly or laughing out loud-
i haven’t gone crazy or started on drugs-
i’m just practicing for what’s next.