Harvests of Laughter

June 26, 2008

Greetings, Prayer Team!

On the same day of this the dearest month of the year, Patsy’s mother Mabel will turn ninety-five and I will turn twenty-five. We both are keeping our drivers’ licenses (although I would like to give mine up), as well as our legs and walking shoes, for we cannot be kept down because of our increasing age. On the contrary, we two have miles to go before we sleep. She, for one, taught school, raised daughters, and to this day remains a vital part of her community.

And I, the other, barely a quarter of her years full of life, look to her as a guidepost, a reference point, as I learn to farm this life soil.

Once as we discussed the health benefits of being happy, Patsy told me that Mabel sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, thinks of something funny, and laughs right out loud.

Now, perhaps it’s difficult to imagine how tenaciously that passing remark stuck in my brain. It was foreign to me. Such a thing seemed natural enough in general, but I had not experienced it. I laughed often enough, I thought, during the day; at night, I was more likely to notice a stressful thought darting its way across my mind. To laugh in the middle of the night signaled a joyful response to life so deeply engraved that the paths for worrisome thoughts would be well overgrown with flowers.

It occurred to me that the way to ensure certain kinds of night thoughts was to produce an over-abundance of them during the waking daylight hours. And so I began the process, encouraging more thankfulness, more humor, more joy during the day. Soon I found myself laughing aloud more often, even by myself before I realized I was doing it.

After a time, I awoke one night as sleepers often do, thought of something, and giggled.

Is it too heavy, too weighty, to say that the effect of Mabel’s laughter on my life and health and future will only be known in eternity? Who knows how many peals of laughter are now growing in me by her influence, or how my extended health because of them will open avenues of service and love to those around me?

Her influence is no doubt tangible and financial, as well. She’s involved with a ministry for families in need, raising money and reaping a harvest. Her generosity extends from her pocket book to her pocket watch as she gives her time and talents to make a difference. Her legacy and energy are priceless, even and especially as she approaches the close of her first century.

As a KEEP board member said in our last meeting, “Every time a white-haired person dies, it takes thirteen donors to replace them.”

We young ones have much to learn from our Mabels. The Streams of Light campaign, not to mention our local churches and our world church, depends on a community of people who put their pocket books where their beliefs are. As of June 19, 2008, gifts committed to Streams of Light equaled $5,922,294, or 98.7% of the $6,000,000 goal. Gifts received and in hand on equaled $3,788,118, or 63% of the $6,000,000 goal.

How grateful we are to each person who has given time and energy and money to bring us this far toward our goal!

On behalf of Patsy Wagner,

Heidi C. Corder
Assistant, Office of Philanthropy