My granddaughter looked into my eyes from my lap.

“Grandma, you are really old. Were there dinosaurs when you were little?”

“Yep, a Tyrannosaurus Rex chased me to school!” Then I said, “Ha Ha!”

Now five-year-olds are literal. I should not have joked with her.

A little while later while she was outside playing with the neighborhood kids, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood one of the little neighborhood boys. He was looking at me seriously.

“Are you Saylor’s grandma?”

“Yes?

“Did a Tyrannosaurus Rex take a bite of you while you were running to school?”

I can see I am about to become an infamous grandma. Several kids are making a clear effort not to look my way. My granddaughter is sure I will tell him that my “joke” is real. What do I do? The only thing any writer does when put on the spot. I write (tell) my way out of a tight situation!

“Um, have you ever dreamed about dinosaurs?”

He leans in instantly, all attention on me.

“Yeah, I had a bad dream about one!”

“Really, what happened in your dream?”

The next several minutes he explains in detail all about his dream and I am rapt in attention.  Suddenly he stops and looks at me, a knowing look on his wise six-year-old face.

“Did you dream a Tyrannosaurus Rex took a bite of you?”

“I do have bad dreams sometimes.  But actually I was only joking with Saylor.”

“Oh, that’s okay.  My mom says I will out-grow bad dreams. You can too.”

Good thing, at over sixty I needed that assurance. With that he takes off on his bike, and all is well. Kids receive his explanation and are off to the next adventure.

I determine to clarify to my granddaughter when she comes in I was only joking and be careful in the future about “old people jokes.”

I confess as a writer there are some days what I have written looks like I wrote it during a bad dream.  I edit it and edit it, then I cut it and rewrite and it still seems like a six-year-old thought it up. I stare at it, willing my writing to be crisp, funny and invigorating. But it stays limp, boring and listless.

“God, help!”

After that prayer invariably I find my way, something emerges from my typing fingers and in that moment, I am satisfied at what I have created.  I pray what I write makes someone smile, or that it brings joy to their day. That is always my goal.

Does God have a sense of humor?  We have a sense of humor and were created in His image, so yes He does. I have a wild imagination, and I wonder if in heaven there will be stand-up comedy? That it will be filled with the sounds of many people laughing and laughing? I know we will be worshipping the Lord, and maybe laughter is included. Scripture does say a merry heart does good like medicine. I like to think of laughter as good medicine and God knows we need it.  Take a moment today to read a good joke, share it, and laugh hard my friends, its does good in your soul.