I loved Lavern and Shirley growing up. I think instinctively I knew that what was broken in me, needed the medicine that comes when we laugh… really laugh. And, back then few shows made me laugh more. Their silly antics were breathtakingly funny. Their sarcasm infectious. Their “norm” so not normal.

I woke up this morning feeling as if perhaps the whole world needed to laugh. It was if I felt we needed to walk over to some cosmic boob tube and adjust the rabbit ears, find the one of three channels and turn the turner until it was in tune…. pull up a bean bag and let it rip. While I liked both Lavern and Shirley equally… I loved the L on Lavern’s Sweaters..She worn the symbol with pride. After all it showed how she was.

I don’t want to make light of all the things that have gotten us here.. we are facing some big things… unable to find ways to communicate with one another – allowing things  and people to divide us. Listening to to many talking heads telling us how we “feel” and talking as if they say it often enough we will believe the lies they tell. People talking about tolerance – but somehow forgetting that tolerance is a two way street called GRACE. A road we all must travel.

I have heard the word thrown around a lot today… actually for the last several days. It is interesting the different definitions people find for it. It is as if that the only way love can be defined is by the meaning of agreeing or condoning … when in truth, love doesn’t need either. Love is that  thing that is supposed to transcend all that, isn’t it? I love Webster’s definition; “love is a feeling of strong and constant affection.”  WOW! That hit me between the eyes…. CONSTANT AFFECTION?  meaning, it doesn’t come and go based on behavior, or choices, or differences, or….. (fill in the blank).

My search for answers to the questions I have about love, were further challenged by going to the bible… I can recall memorizing this scripture in my youth… Love is…. followed by a check list of things…. But, wow… they aren’t just things… they are calls to actions. I cannot help but to think that truly if we were  serious about perfecting this skill…. we would be so busy with what was required of us, that frankly, we wouldn’t have time to worry about what others were, or were not doing.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. 

I try to slow it down to absorb it all…

Love is patient. –

Love is Kind. –

Love does not Boast –

Love is not proud –

Love does not dishonor others –

Love is not self seeking –

Love is not easily angered –

Love keeps no record of wrong –

Love doesn’t delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth.

Love always protects.

Love always trusts.

Love always hopes.

Love always perseveres –

Love never fails.

See what I mean. I know that often times when I read a passage of scripture, I can twist it to be a sword of protection instead a lamp to guide my own steps. It isn’t meant to be used as a road map of what we allow others to do or not to do, but rather a map that shows us how we/I am to walk in the world. I think that when we wield it as a sword we give Christianity a bad name. I suspect we have all done it. It is so much easier to judge others than to discipline ourselves.

SO maybe it isn’t so much that we need a collective laugh session, yet, I do think that laughter cultivates the soil in which joy can grow….but that we need to rediscover JOY.(the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation). 

I think that loving well… and Joy are deeply connected.  To all those I have not loved well… Forgive me. I’m changing. I want to be a part of change. Know, that it doesn’t necessarily mean we will agree on everything… shoot we may agree on nothing other than the importance of love. I wont be less of a God-Girl, matter of fact, I can guarantee that I will be more of one.. as there is no way I can master this list on my own. I will still be flawed, and I will fail, and I will fall… but, I am determined to get back up and try again until I do get it right.

So perhaps it is time to strap on a cursive letter L on our chest letting those around us know who it is we are working to be.  So sing it with me… 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,Schemeel, Schlemazel, Love and Stuff Incorporated.