the joy of laughter

I had the opportunity to go away this weekend, to a women's conference called Women of Faith.
It always surprises me going to events like this; I contemplate whether or not I should go each time, and then when I'm there I am totally overwhelmed by the feeling of how badly I needed to be there.
Each time I go, it fulfills a different need; some years it's more emotional than others, sometimes the messages hit me hard, convicting me about a particular struggle I've been having....
but EVERY time, I learn a little more about God's word, and even though sometimes it may only be on one small passage of text, it impacts me for several things I'll face ahead and the soverignty of my having heard that exact text that applies to so many future situations always humbles me.
Anyway, a huge part of what impacted me most this weekend was the reminder to praise and celebrate and LAUGH. Like the song, "if you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."
As a parent especially, one of my favorite things is my children's laughter. You know, when they are just altogether tickled about something, and are cracking up. Imagine our love for them multiplied to incomprehensible amounts and figure that's how God feels when he sees us be joyful. Psalm 100 :1-2 says 'make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.'
This weekend was such a refreshment and a great reminder of how much I love to laugh! And in this season of motherhood, one of the things that a speaker said that stuck with me, and my controlling self who has a tendency to snap the joy right out of myself and my kids was, "choose hilarity or insanity." I'd so rather laugh about it all!