“Laughter” | Reflection by Lisa Omark, Parish Clerk

A hallmark of my father’s life was laughter. Throughout his life, he eased difficult situations with a simple phrase that gave measure to laughter’s power to build peace. 

Years ago, Dad and I were waiting in a ski tow line, among hundreds of skiers. People were impatient and somewhat unkind. With his booming laugh, Dad called out, “They’re serving free beer in the bar!” His laugh rippled through the crowd, and, slowly, surely, frustrations with waiting dissipated. A calm fell over us and we began to enjoy one another. Strangers shared kind words. We let others “cut” us in line. One stranger gave his ski glove to another who’d lost his in a fall. Our shared laughter had transformed us and returned our civility. 

As we rode the chairlift to the mountaintop, I asked what had inspired him. Dad told me of his running conversation with God, a conversation that began during his horrifying years as a Navy pilot in the Pacific theater during WWII. Through his prayers, he learned the import of a unified front; laughter is just one of the many tools to remind us that, despite our differences, we are on the same side. Justice is truly just us. God gave Dad the vision of what could be; he learned to adjust his aperture again and again to bring reconciliation, civility, and union. 

I heard his laugh millions of times, for thousands of reasons, and it always brought joy. Each of us have sources of laughter that will echo throughout our lives. May those cherished moments inspire us to adjust our apertures so we may bring unity to our many communities. May God’s peace truly smile in our souls.

Photo Caption: Our grandson, Riley Warren, at 6 months. He inherited Dad’s name and lives his laughter.