In the heat of the sun at the bottomof the hill, a group of kids starts toform around us. I look at them, lookaway, and quickly look back again

with wide eyes. They smile. I do itagain and they laugh. They watch meput together my trombone, piece bypiece. Tim hangs his battered bucketdrum around his neck. Suzanne hasthe bubble-making bear. We are off!

Today, we are going into Martissant,one of the most dangerous areas ofPort-au-Prince, Haiti, rated by the UNas a “red zone” because their peace-keeping troops have so little controlhere. Over 100,000 people live here,Tim notes, in houses made of cementblocks, tarps, and rusty tin stacked upthe hill as high as we can see. Thereare two water pumps for more than100,000 people.

The high levels of poverty andviolence here make it feel moreimportant than ever that we do a

fantastic show today. These kidsdeserve a bang-up, hands-downhilarious show.

Kids pile around us as we parade upthe hill. They pop out of doorwaysand join the crowd. Some womendance to the music as we go by. WhenI dance, they laugh. It seems importantto look people in the eye and greetthem as we go by, so that they feel apersonal connection beyond justseeing a ragtag troop of weird, sweatywhite people parading past. I alternatebetween playing the trombone,greeting people, dancing, singing, andcatching my breath. We are climbingthe hot hill in a tide of kids now. Theyattach themselves, holding onto myelbows and the sides and back of myskirt.

“Ou bouke? (oo boo-kay)” says agirl. I just learned this creole wordyesterday. A common graffiti phrase

FamiliesWEAVE A TAP E STRY O F FA I TH

The Families pages are adapted from Tapestry of Faith lifespan faith development programs.

www.uua.org/tapestryoffaith

STORY FOR ALL AGES

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E X P L O R I N G T O G E T H E R

What is it about laughter? It can make us feel sogood! Laughter can be strong medicine for hard times. It can breaktension, affirm our relationships, and help us live longer, healthierlives. A good laugh can help someone who feels lost, sad, or alonere-connect to the ongoing whole of life.As Unitarian Universalists, we act in faithwhen we use humor to ease someone’sburdens or lift their spirits.

The Jokes That Bind

Does your family have an inside joke?Humor is one way a group likefamily or friends stays connected. A

funny family story that’s been told againand again can get people cracking up assoon as someone starts to retell it. If someonenew is in the group, let them in on it, too!

That’s Not Funny! “I don’t get it.” When some find a joke funny, whyare others not laughing? Some reasons might be:Cultural differences. A joke about rush hourmakes little sense to a rural farmer. Insults or put-downs. Jokes about someone’sfamily, appearance, or actions can causediscomfort or hurt.

on the walls of Port-au-Prince is“NOU BOUKE (new boo-kay).”It means “we are exhausted,” or“we are fed up.” The spray-painted words mean thatHaitian people are fed up withthe way things are, theirineffective government, the lackof food and water. This girl isasking me if I am tired from theclimb.

I take a deep breath and lookaround. “No, m’pas bouke (I amnot tired),” I say. “Nou bouke(new boo-kay)?” (Are you alltired?)

“No!” they say. We keepclimbing. I start a newtrombone riff to the beat ofTim’s bucket drum.

More kids join in as we climb.“Bon jou,” I greet them. “Bonjou!” they reply to the beat ofTim’s drum.

“Bon swa!” I say, which is thegreeting for afternoon andevening, and the wrong one tosay for the morning.

“Bon swa!”“No, bon jou!” I shout.“Bon swa!” they say.“Bon swa?”“Bon jou!”One of brightest rays of hope

that I see in this country is theway that people are so ready tolaugh and to play. Maybe a lotof people in Haiti are bouke alot of the time. But right now weare on our way up a hill to ashow, and despite all odds weare not bouke at all.

Sarah Liane Foster, a lifelongUnitarian Universalist, traveled as aprofessional clown with ClownsWithout Borders to Haiti, Turkey,Colombia, Swaziland, and SouthAfrica where children have experiencedconflict and injustice. “Laughter is acritical way to heal trauma,” Sarahsaid. “And all kids deserve joy.” Alonger version of this story appears inthe Tapestry of Faith program, Heedingthe Call.

You are 30 times more likely to laugh if you are with somebody else

than if you’re alone.

Knock knock! Who’s there? Lettuce! Lettuce who? Let us tell you a few jokes!

CHALLENGEThink of a joke that people ofany age, ethnicity, lifestyle, etc.can enjoy. Try out your joke!Hint: It may be easier to getlaughs with a physical joke.

Q. Knock, knockWho’s there?Broken pencil

Broken pencil who?Never mind, it’s

pointless.

Q. Why was

10 scared?

A. Because 7 8 9!

Q. What can

you never ea

t

for breakfast

?

A. Dinner!

Q. What’s a rabbit’sfavorite kind of music?A. Hip hop!

Q. Why dodragons sleep

all day?A. So they canfight knights!

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Darling, If You Love Me… …is a group game. The first “Darling” has to

get someone else to smile or laugh.Approach a person and say, “Darling, if youlove me, won’t you please, please smile.” Youcan make a funny face, use a silly voice—doanything but physically touch them. If theperson can say back, without a smile orlaugh, “I am sorry, darling, I love you, but Ijust can’t smile,” then you must try a

different person. The first one you can makesmile or laugh becomes the new Darling.

Make a date to set aside worriesor stress and exercise yourlaughter muscles together.

What a great gift to give one another!You could read a funny book byBeverly Cleary, James Marshall, ShelSilverstein, or Mo Willems. Try LouisSachar’s Wayside School books. Or,play charades.

Is there a movie you watch over and over because itmakes everyone laugh? Some enjoy the slapstickhumor of the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, orLooney Tunes cartoons. For contemporary animation,

try Inside Out (2015), Shrek (2001, PG)or Monsters, Inc. (2001). Older youththrough adults may chuckle at thecheesy horror film Shaun of the Dead(2004). Beware, it is R-rated due tozombie violence. Those who likecomedic dramas with ridiculous plots,mishaps, and misunderstandings may

like Yours, Mine and Ours (2005; original, 1968); TheParent Trap (1998; original, 1961); Elf (2003); GoodBurger (1997); Groundhog Day (1998); Sister Act (1992);or Home Alone (1990). Check reviews to make sure afilm is suitable for everyone.

Calories burned in one hour of laughing = calories burned lifting weights

for 30 minutes

A question like this was given to people who hadsuffered heart attacks or other cardiac problems and topeople without heart disease. People with no heartdisease were 40 percent more likely to report laughing.

In other words, being able to laugh at your own day-to-day mistakes may be a sign of cardiac health.Would you conclude that a life that lacks humor maybe shorter?

You think you see a friend ina crowded room. You excitedlyrush over to get theirattention. When you get there,you discover you made amistake and the person is atotal stranger. Answer:

I would not find it funny.

I would be amused, but not showit.

I would smile.

I would laugh.

I would laugh heartily.

Excuse Me, Do I Know You?

Family Comedy Night

Like a welcome summer rain,humor may suddenly cleanse andcool the earth, the air, and you.

– Langston Hughes

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/ Susan Chiang

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FIND OUT MORE

n Download a free guide to Laughter Yoga, including the “top 10 laughter exercises,”from the website www.laughteryoga.org

n Sophie Scott, a cognitive neuroscientist and a stand-up comic, gave an April 2015TED Talk on why and how we laugh. Read the transcript on www.ted.com or watchon YouTube (and hear laughter that will make you giggle along).

n The Tapestry of Faith programs Faithful Journeys, Heeding the Call, and Toolboxof Faith provided material for these pages.

PA R E N T R E F L E C T I O N

FAMIL IES : WEAVE A TAPESTRY OF FAITHProvided by the Faith Development Office of the Unitarian UniversalistAssociation Editor: Susan Dana LawrenceContributors: Jessica York Gail Forsyth-VailGraphic Design: Ann Casady

It’s often been said that“laughter is the bestmedicine,” but that’s

not true when ourlaughter comes at theexpense of someone else’sdignity and self-worth.There are fat jokes, andsexist jokes, and racistjokes. There are jokesabout various ethnicgroups and people withdiffering abilities. Whenwe laugh at someone, it’sthe opposite of healing.

This kind of “humor”so pervades our societythat negative stereotypescan seem to be thefoundation on whichmuch of our comedy isbuilt. Because it is soprevalent, we may missopportunities to saysomething when peoplearound us are laughing atone of these jokes. Wemay even awkwardly joinin the laughter to avoidbeing called a killjoy or,worse, being laughed atourselves. Maybe we onlynotice the cruelty of a joke

Powerful Stuff – Use with Caution!By Erik Wikstrom

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Taking time to help our children put themselvesin the place of the person or group being madefun of can be a great way to teach compassionwhile encouraging children's courage to standup for what is right.

when it is aimed at agroup we identify with.

If it is hard for us asadults to resist joining inhurtful laughter, imaginehow much harder itmight be for our children.In many instances they do

not even fully understandthe underlying meaningsof the “joke.” They maylaugh to feel included;they may laugh toprevent being classedwith whoever orwhatever the joke puts

down. Still developingempathy, young childrenmay not recognize theharm a mean joke cancause. Taking time to helpour children putthemselves in the place ofthe person or group beingmade fun of can be agreat way to teachcompassion whileencouraging children’scourage to stand up forwhat is right.

Laughter and humorcan be a tremendousbalm, soothing difficultsituations and meltingaway tension, anxiety,and anger. The poet (andUnitarian!) e.e. cummingswrote, “the most wastedof all days is one withoutlaughter.” Yet it’simportant to resist thekind that harms.

Rev. Erik Wikstrom servesThomas Jefferson MemorialChurch in Charlottesville, N.C.,as lead minister. He has alsoworked as a juggler, magician,and clown.

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