The onset of spring and cheery flowers always brings greater smiles to people’s faces and tends to lighten their hearts. Since I was a child, I laughed in a way that echoed throughout the whole room or so I was frequently told. Several years ago, I had a friend tell me that my laughter made his day because my laughter came from way down deep. What a compliment! Although I am very selective about any TV that I might watch, when I do watch I intentionally watch something that makes me laugh. I feel better. My heart lightens. My face lifts and my perspective begins to change. In other words, laughter is a daily habit.

I recently read a comment that if ‘’it’s possible to laugh our way out of a serious illness, why don’t we try it for other things that have gone wrong in the world? As they say, laughter is the best medicine!” I laughed at the synchronicity of finding this comment and its harmony with my Playing with Divine Light Exercise.

Then I reflected on why I’m inspired to speak of laughter to bring peace in this newsletter. In the bigger picture, I realized that we are all choosing a new path this year, being its an 11 year (see December 2008 archives). We are choosing not only a new and true path for ourselves, but we can also participate in creating an alternative path to the destructive patterns and energies all around the world. This path has the power to bring peace in the simple effort of good laughter. This good laughter neutralizes suffering and opens the way to experiencing community.

Have you ever experienced how quick people warm up to you when they hear you laugh? I’ve had people tell me that my laughter made them know I was a safe person to be around. I laugh in sessions with people, even in the most raw moments of their journey because in that moment, Grace enters and transcends the rawness out of any karma or pain or deep loss. In that moment, Grace and laughter partner together and through me, deep healing is made possible to the client. It’s always incredible because people awaken to the experience of knowing that they are not their pain and suffering. They are richly more. And they know in that moment, they are worthy of being special, unique, a gift. And they know in that moment, there worthiness is not just minute, but a universal worthiness, for it came in the rawest of moments. Grace is like that!

Many years ago, in one of my transformative moments in understanding the experience of Grace, I came across this passage from A Spirituality of Wholeness, The New Look at Grace, by Bill Huebsch. He speaks of Grace in this way:
“This grace, of which Jesus was full, this grace is the life of God. The life of God/dess is itself powerful, creative, and energizing and Jesus was full of that. Do you realize what this means? This means God/dess’s own life, God’s energy, Goddess’ grace is WITHIN US. And it means we are empowered (empowered!)…..Anybody created by God/dess, which includes all of you, is created to be Somebody. Don’t become a nobody, don’t give away your power to be yourself, don’t deny my grace to you.”

Grace for me is accepting the gift that the FULLNESS, THE WORTHINESS OF MY SOMEBODINESS is truly mine to live just because GOD/DESS deemed me as good, powerful, loved and divine. Period. Period. Period.

When you are a ‘Somebody’, you laugh with heart and soul. This laughter echoes throughout the Universe and has the power to heal the rawest wounds of humanity. GRACE and LAUGHTER are like that. My newsletter this month has an exercise of bringing peace in our hearts, lives and the planet through a light meditation with laughter and grace. Give it a try and let me know what you discovered and what unfolded for you.

©Shirley Lynn Martin