Christian Living

---

Larry Lilly's Letter February 2, 2009

Sometimes I battle depression, often I have no idea as to the why, I just feel depressed. I have read of all kinds of preventives and cures and I have tried most, to little or no effect. One thing works better for me than any other that I have tried, but I hesitate to share it with you, because, being a preacher and all, it just doesn't sound all the spiritual.

Now before you jump the gun and run around the neighborhood telling everybody, "Pastor Lilly is a secret drunk," please let me finish. I do NOT hit the bottle, though on several occasions I have given a wee bit of thought to it. My antidote and cure, which often works, is much simpler and leaves no hangover, or even feelings of guilt.

And talk about cheap, compared to most concoctions I am getting off dirt cheap, with none of the side effects of over the counter or prescribed solutions.

You may have guessed that my secret super duper overcomer enabler is a good old belly laugh. Not the kind that proper people engage in while in good company, but I mean the kind that often embarrasses cultured folks. Yes, I do like a good joke, a funny story or just watching the antics of animals or children. I often laugh at women, though not when the Great Blonde is around as she may think that what I happen to be laughing at is not all that funny. Hey, after all these years you learn. Lord Byron wrote: "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine."

As I am writing this piece (Saturday night) the email alarm beeped and so I wandered over to the beast (Inbox) and read a note from my sister Bertie, who was Mom's favorite child. Bertie, ever the proper child sent a video of a super funny Nun in Scottsdale, AZ and the chosen sister asked, "Where was this Nun when I was in school?" As the favorite child Bertie went to parochial school. Being the heathen, I went to hellacious public schools. The Nun was a scream and this came just as I was writing about humor, thinking that while writing I would think of something to make me laugh. I know several editors and publishers who at least snicker at my serious writing, sort of like Norman Mailer who said of the late John Updike, "He is the kind of writer appreciated by readers who know nothing about writing."

One insightful line from the Nun in answer to a little girl who asked, "Will Methodists go to heaven?" The Nun took a while on this, but culminated with, "Yes, honey Methodist will go to heaven, Jesus told us that His kingdom has many rooms, so there is room for Methodists, but the Methodist rooms will be between the ice machine and the elevator." Being a Baptist, I found the above hilarious.

On the fun of watching animals occupy themselves, I recall a few years ago when Mollie our tuxedo girl canine kept coming into the TV room, carrying little pieces of what appeared to be a very light tan colored cord. She would bring in a strand, lay it at my feet and off she would go for another. At about the fourth trip, a scream went through the house, out into the street and through the entire town. "Larry, Mollie is tearing up the living room carpet and bringing it to you. And you think it's funny?" I had no idea. Honest. Hey, she was just a puppy. Joyce and I will often laugh about that time. Joyce forgets the awful persecution she put me through, I just let it go. Many awful things turn out to be funny in retrospect. I am glad for this. Solomon was right on target when he wrote in Proverbs 17:22:

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2009 Use with credit.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE