I came across my dad’s “humor” notecards this week. Humor was often my dad’s way into a sermon or talk, creating a shared laugh so that the audience could exhale into the moment. Holding these notecards that I’ve had tucked away these many years since we cleaned off his desk, I felt the same release of distance as I laughed at these items that reflect his gentle sense of humor.
Here are two items from his stack:
A 12-year-old was coming out of church with his father and saw a large board with rows of little name plates. He asked his dad what it meant and his father replied, “Those are the names of people from our church who died in the service.” The boy paused then asked, “Which one – the 9:30 or the 11?”
Things I Learned as a Child
- No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
- When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let your mom brush your hair.
- If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
- Never asks a three-year-old to hold a tomato.
- Whether she’s real or not, you should believe in the tooth fairy if you like money.
- You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
- Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot.
- Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
- Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic tac.
- Never hold a dustbuster and a cat at the same time.
Those are excellent life lessons, especially the ones about cats 😅
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Yes! I’m not sure if anyone still uses the term dustbuster anymore but it still evokes quite an image! Thanks for the fun comment, Em!
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These are priceless lessons, I love them! 😆 And as a grown up, I can now appreciate how much work, skill and thoughtfulness it takes to be a minister. Sermon delivery is an art form in a sense and how wonderful you kept your dads notecards with you.
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Thanks, Ab! I think you are right that sermon delivery is an art form. Makes it fun to flip through his cards, see his notation of when and when he delivered a particular quip so he didn’t repeat himself.
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Love the humor 😀
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Thank you for the laugh/smile. I can relate to a few of these life lessons…lol
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What?? You let a 3-year-old hold a tomato? Or you trusted a dog to watch your food? 🙂 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting!!
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