Tag: humor

A re-run of my dad’s humor cards. They make me chuckle all over again – so I hope you enjoy them whether it’s the first time or second (first posted on 11/21/2021).

The backstory: My dad was a Presbyterian pastor for 40 years. He kept a well curated stack of humor cards – little stories he heard, found or saw and then typed onto 5×7 cards. Then he wrote in the margins when he used that particular item. His humor was often an easy way to settle in to something deeper – by laughing and thinking about the buried truth in these little nuggets, it paved the way to an open heart.

Honoring the Dead

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?”

A rerun of my dad’s humor cards. I laughed all over again when I found this one – the very first one I posted on 11/21/2021

The backstory: My dad was a Presbyterian pastor for 40 years. He kept a well curated stack of humor cards – little stories he heard, found or saw and then typed onto 5×7 cards. Then he wrote in the margins when he used that particular item. His humor was often an easy way to settle in to something deeper – by laughing and thinking about the buried truth in these little nuggets, it paved the way to an open heart.

Things I Learned as a Child

1. No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
2. When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let your mom brush your hair.
3. If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4. Never asks a three-year-old to hold a tomato.
5. Whether she’s real or not, you should believe in the tooth fairy if you like money.
6. You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
7. Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot.
8. Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
9. Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic tac.
10. Never hold a dustbuster and a cat at the same time.

The last installment from my dad’s humor cards.

The backstory: My dad was a Presbyterian pastor for 40 years. He kept a well curated stack of humor cards – little stories he heard, found or saw and then typed onto 5×7 cards. Then he wrote in the margins when he used that particular item. His humor was often an easy way to settle in to something deeper – by laughing and thinking about the buried truth in these little nuggets, it paved the way to an open heart.

When we cleaned out his desk after he died 7 years ago, I was lucky enough to stumble on this stack. I pull it out regularly to have a little laugh with my dear Dad. Now when I post one of them, I write my note next to his and it feels like a continuation.

Life Summed Up

At Presbytery yesterday, one of my colleagues passed along this definition of the eight decades of man:

Spills, Drills, Thrills, Bills, Frills, Ills, Pills and Wills.

(Parables, etc. Vol. 3, #3, May 1983)

___________________________________________________

And that is the very last card in the stack. Somehow it seems so fitting because it reminds me that there is an end to everything. And we get to sum it up in whatever way we want. It might not always rhyme or be prettily tied up on a bow – but we will all leave something behind. Hopefully, like was true with my wonderful father, it’s a lot of laughter, inspiration, and the memory of a life well-lived.

I’d define his life and decades as this: Good-willed, eloquently quilled and peace, joy and love filled.