Tag Archive for: laughter

Full Hearts

We’ve had the sweetest few days with some of our returned missionaries visiting us here in Scotland.
A surprise visit at church on Sunday from Pedro Jalo and his family was a real joy!
There’s just something special about picking up right where you left off, swapping stories, laughing over old memories, and making new ones.
Monday was busy with a trip to the Wallace Monument, followed by a picnic in Dollar, and then a walk up to Castle Campbell through the Glen.
Afterwards we topped it off with a short visit to Culross and dinner at the Red Lion.
Our hearts are full.
There’s just nothing quite like time shared with dear ones who are, in every way that matters, our family.

Bart = Instant Joy

When Bart walked into our house the other day, the whole place just lit up and bubbled with joy!
I don’t know why exactly, but when he is around, everything just seems so much better.
Literally and figuratively!
At 6 foot 8, he’s just simply impossible to miss, but it’s his spirit that really fills the room.
I first met Bart back in April 2008 in Provo, Utah.
Monic however, had already painted a vivid picture of him long before that.
Their story started in 1990, when Bart showed up in Utrecht, Netherlands, as a brand-new missionary.
Back then, he didn’t understand a word of Dutch and just followed his companion around hoping for the best.
The way he tells it, is literally comedy gold.
You could listen to his stories for hours and these last couple of days, we truly have!
Bart is a whirlwind of joy, laughter, and stories you’ll never forget.
This week, he swept through our lives again, arriving on Sunday evening after taking a train up from London and then renting a car.
Back again last night, after an epic, rapid-fire (36 Hour) tour of Scotland, from the Trossachs to Glencoe, Skye, Loch Ness and St. Andrews, (yes, photos included!), he showed up beaming, a wee bit tired, and full of even more wild tales.
Every visit with Bart is more than a catch-up, it’s more like an event.
He seems to have boundless energy.
And he loves to practice his Dutch.
It’s the kind of experience you don’t just remember, you 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍.
He honestly feels like a human sunbeam!
So, if you ever get the chance to hang out with Bart, our advice, take it.
Don’t think.
Just say yes.
And Bart, next time you visit, you’ll need to stay a wee bit longer!
We simply need to get more time with you…it is such fun!
We need a reunion Part 2 in Provo too, next time we visit with you!
Because when Bart shows up, our experience is, life gets a whole lot more awesome!!

Three Generations of Joy

Yesterday we visited our daughter Megan, son-in-law Caleb and our little grandson Oscar in Glasgow.
It had been a few weeks since we’d last seen them.
We’ve discovered that in baby time; a few weeks is an absolute age.
Babies grow so quickly!
Oscar had grown stronger, more expressive, much more curious.
We each held him for a wee while and had fun playing with him too.
Then something magical happened.
Megan put him in his bouncer chair.
“He loves it” she said.
Sure enough, he bounced happily in his little chair, beaming from ear to ear, giggling, squealing with laughter and babbling away.
His whole face lit up with the kind of joy only babies seem to manage.
It was just pure, unfiltered happiness.
Monic and I sat on the couch, completely captivated and absorbed in that moment.
We couldn’t take our eyes off him.
His energy was contagious and his joy infectious.
I think we both had that wide-eyed, can’t-stop-smiling look that only proud grandparents get from time to time.
What made the moment even more special was Megan catching it all, camera in hand, laughing not just at Oscar, but at us.
Her joy was layered: love for her child, and love in seeing her parents fall head over heels for him.
There’s something deeply beautiful about that, three generations wrapped in a single moment of laughter and love.
We left feeling full-hearted, loved and joyful!
Smitten doesn’t begin to cover it.
What’s a small, everyday moment that filled your heart lately?

Brain FM: Now Playing…

Have you ever had a song or tune stuck in your head?
It frequently happens in our home.
Randomly, from nowhere, a catchy piece of music keeps replaying involuntarily through your mind.
It’s usually just a few notes, a little fragment, a snippet of music, a catchy chorus, a little jingle, or a repetitive melody from a familiar song.
Do you know what I mean?
It just loops over and over in your head, without intentionally even thinking about it.
It’s if your brain hits repeat on a song, you didn’t even ask it to play!
They’re commonly called “𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔”.
They can last for a few minutes, many hours or even days on end, at least that’s our experience.
In our home, Monic and I are pretty good at infecting each other too.
Randomly, either one of us will start humming a tune or whistling a song, only to find that the other one joins in by completing the next part of the melody.
Then, the other one completes the next part, and we go back n forward, over and over again!
And just like that, we’ve passed the earworm on.
It’s like a musical baton relay with no finish line.
Its relentless!
We don’t even know who started it, or why we’re suddenly singing “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of our breakfast.
Or, one hum, one whistle “da-da-da-da-da-DAAA- da…and boom – we’re off again!
But we always end up laughing, every single time.
But here’s a thought: if our brains are that good at replaying nonsense jingles, imagine the power of putting something intentional on loop.
What if we chose our mental soundtrack a little more deliberately?
Like a kind thought, a hopeful mantra of some kind, or a bit of truth you need to hear today.
Gratitude. Encouragement. Hope.
So, tell me, what song gets stuck in your head?
And what thought could you intentionally replace it with today?

A snapshot of joy

Laughter is one of the most powerful and life-affirming experiences we can have.
And so it was as Ali, and I, visited my mum on Friday evening.
As we sat together, reminiscing about old times, sharing stories, something spontaneous happened that turned a quiet moment into one of pure joy: we started laughing.
At the end of our visit, we simply decided to take a picture together.
For some reason, the very suggestion sent us all into fits of laughter.
It wasn’t the idea of the picture itself, but rather the delightful simplicity of the moment that made us chuckle, giggle and laugh until our sides hurt.
Earlier in our visit we’d talked about some health concerns, yet as the laughter began, it was in many ways a form of release—a way to break free from the weight of life’s burdens, even just for those special few moments.

Wellbeing

Our visit with my 89-year-old mum reminded me of just how essential laughter is to our well-being, offering a connection to joy even in times of challenging health.
In her lifetime, I know mum has witnessed challenges and joys, yet in our moment of laughter together, it served as a bridge between the past and present, reminding us that life, at its core, is about finding joy in the little things.
For each of us, that moment wasn’t just about taking a picture, but about capturing a memory of joy with the people we love, creating an even stronger bond that no words could truly express.
Reflecting on the shared experience with my mum and brother-in-law, I realise we weren’t just laughing at the idea of taking a picture, but at the joy of being together, of being present in each other’s lives.

Joy

While also lifting our spirits and lightening our loads, it was a celebration of love, family, and togetherness, all wrapped up in 𝒂 𝒔𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒋𝒐𝒚, through the healing power of a good laugh.
Let’s not to take life too seriously and cherish those fleeting moments of joy that come from simply serving and being with the people we deeply love.
There is a time to have fun, laugh, play, learn and serve together.
Dale G. Renlund said: “To effectively serve others we must see them… through Heavenly Father’s eyes.
Only then can we begin to comprehend the true worth of a soul. Only then can we sense the love that Heavenly Father has for all His children.”
Looking upon my mum as a child of God, being able to laugh with her, and as we ministered to her, we felt a healing and strengthening warmth that will last forever.
Why is it important to be able to laugh at ourselves?

The List

Preparing to go shopping this morning, Monic asked “Have you seen the shopping list?”
“No” I responded.
“Would you mind going to look for it in the car, I think I may have left it in my jacket?” – she said.
Off I went.
I checked in the car and looked in her jacket pockets.
“Nothing there” I remarked.
“It may be upstairs” said Monic, and off she went.
Then I stated, “I’ll just put the bins out whilst you look.”
Off I went out back into the garden pulling two wheelie bins and put them beside all the other bins on the street for collection.
I came back inside via the back door and waited in the living room.
I got distracted by a message on my phone.
Then I waited a while longer.
“What a time she is taking” I thought.
The doorbell rang.
“Who can that be so early?” I thought.
I opened the door.
It was Monic!
I was perplexed, I thought she was upstairs!
“What are you doing, I’m waiting in the car” she said…
We smiled.
Then we laughed.
Actually, we laughed a lot!
“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone, whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness–and call it love–true love.” — Robert Fulgham, American author

Oops!

Ｏｏｐｓ！
Yesterday, after a busy morning at Schiphol Airport to say farewell to a number of departing missionaries, followed by the arrival of the Kempenaers family to pick up their son Jorne, we decided to take a walk to clear our heads and catch our breath…
Heading towards the Vliet, we found that it was completely frozen over.
Although, there was also a clear indication that a boat or two had snaked through the ice.
It was a delightful, albeit chilly walk into town, to pick up one or two groceries.
It was nice to chat too with Matalyn Weaver, who is staying with us for a couple of days before returning home on Monday.
Eventually, we arrived back home.
And then it happened….!
I reached into my pocket to get the keys for the front door.
𝐎𝐎𝐏𝐒!
Somehow, I’d managed to pick up the wrong keys…
I am not certain how many times over the last 18 months I’ve given missionaries a hard time about forgetting their housekeys.
It is a regular occurrence!
Weekly, if not daily for many!
And now it had happened to me… ☹
Of course, it just had to be the coldest day of winter too.
Well, departures week is always a rollercoaster of emotions for me – for sure. At least that’s my excuse!!
With no spare key, I had to make a rather embarrassing call to the Assistants to come to our rescue.
They smiled and laughed.
In fact – they smiled and laughed – a lot!
To be fair – we laughed too….!
Luckily, they live only 15 minutes away and it wasn’t too long before they arrived and saved us from the chilly winter weather.
And the moral of today’s story – perhaps I should have heeded my own advice, to “slow down!”
Laughter is a great medicine.
When did you last make a silly mistake?

Don’t forget to laugh!

A fun experience from Belgium last week.
Departing our hotel room, on the second floor, fully loaded down with all our luggage, we arrived at the lift.
Our unspoken plan was to take the lift to the ground floor reception and checkout.
The visual indicator showed that the lift was on the ground floor “0.”
We both looked at the lift call buttons and independently of each other, we pushed the call buttons.
One button pointed upwards, the other button pointed downwards.
One of us pushed up, the other pushed down.
Quizzically, we looked at one another, thinking “Why did you do that?”
Do you remember the classic book on communication styles, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” by John Gray?
The book highlights the key differences between how men and women think, act, and communicate.
I must admit – that was my first thought as we stood waiting on the lift to arrive.
We turned to one another again and laughed!
It was a silly moment, but one that highlighted the simple differences between our thinking.
Stepping into the lift, we did finally arrive at our destination, after a short detour upwards, to the third floor!
After 28 years of marriage, our conclusion is this…
No two people ever see all things precisely the same!
Understanding and appreciating one another’s differences is the key to healthy relationships.
And don’t forget to laugh – often!! 😅
𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?

What’s in a name?

Missionary coaching interviews – our favourite time as mission leaders!
It has been a busy week, filled with lots of interviews in Rotterdam.
Another missionary coaching interview session was drawing to a close.
After being reassigned from the Missouri Independence Mission, this was the first time the young sister missionary and I had met together.
Like the many other coaching interviews that day, we’d shared lots of insights together, but as usual, time had passed by too quickly for us.
It was time to close out the session, and I thanked the young sister missionary for her hard work, and wished her every success in the weeks ahead, until we met again.
We got down on our knees to close our session in prayer.
I started the prayer, sharing a few thoughts and expressing gratitude to Sister Jorgensen for her efforts in the mission since her arrival here, only a few short weeks ago. I mentioned her name again…
….And then it happened!
“𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑱𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕?” I thought….
In that moment, I couldn’t remember – I certainly wasn’t sure!!!
Thinking further to myself – “I am sure it is…..but what if it isn’t?”
….“Perhaps I should check…?”
I stopped speaking.
I moved around a little, uncomfortable at my realisation, and opened my eyes, to check her nametag.
At that moment, realising that something wasn’t quite right, she too, opened her eyes.
Looking at each other, smiling, it was in fact 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔!
We laughed.
We laughed again (a little harder).
It was just so funny.
Somehow – we managed to compose ourselves and I finished offering a prayer.
I don’t think either of us will ever forget those memorable seconds in laughter…
It was just so silly and yet so special, I’m sure it’ll connect the two of us together to that moment – forever!
I won’t ever forget Sister Jorgensen (oops) Sister Reynolds name ever again!!!! 😊
Have you ever made a silly mistake?

Dealing with stress…

Recently I was asked “How do you cope with stressful situations” .
Sometimes, it may just feel easier to hide and run away!
However, I recalled an experience from some 25 years ago that I’d like to share again today.
I was just finishing at University, newly married and working part time at an Asda petrol station to pay the bills.
It was a typical Saturday morning, just before Christmas, with traffic flow starting to build. Sadly, after opening up the forecourt at 7am, my colleague who was supposed to be in the second booth didn’t show up for work – I found out later he called in sick.
With no other trained Petrol Station colleagues available until 1pm, I knew I was in for a rough shift – especially if just one forecourt problem arose.
So with one booth closed and no pay at pump facility in those days, all the Saturday morning traffic was funnelled into my lane.
By 10am that morning, traffic was queuing all the way into the main car park, customers were becoming impatient and obscenities were starting to be hurled my way.
Luckily for me that day – there was no equipment failure – which had it occurred would have been disastrous – but I did learn five useful lessons about stress that I have never forgotten.
1. Ask for help
2. Control your emotions – as best you as you can.
3. Focus on the task at hand
4. Stay Calm – breathe
5. Find something to laugh about
I survived and you can too!
#stress