Hi, and welcome to A Time to
Laugh.org. Grab a cup of your favorite coffee or
tea, put your feet up, and surf here for a bit. Here
you'll find
a broad collection of funny and inspirational stories, along with a
gallery of funny images, funny pictures, and clean jokes to
keep
you laughing.
The Funny
Animals pages include stories and pictures of dogs, cats,
dinosaurs, monkeys, cows, and wet kitties.
The Funny
People group of stories include those infamous Darwin Awards,
humor in the courtroom, a duck hunting story, and travel agent tales.
Funny
Signs
are everyone if we slow down long enough to look. Whether the simple
customer service policy, the "lazy paint striping", also known as "road
kill humor", or the baby biker getting a speeding ticket, it's good to
smile at the signs in our lives.
Professionals
in Action
refer to doctors in surgery, blind airline pilots, celebrities, and
librarians. Take special note of the story titled "Teacher or
Educator" too!
The Work
Place
is where we usually spend one third, or more, of our lives.
And
isn't work more fun when you're laughing! How about those
great
excuses for sleeping at work? Or corporate travel budget
cuts? Or
the challenges and woes of a new job.
Computer
Jokes
aren't just for the tech-savy or geeks. "Understanding
Computers"
may be helpful, and "Dr. Seuss explaining PCs" is a wonderful tutorial
on computers.
Hmmm
. . . Wonder?
What could this be about? Well, have you ever
called the
mental health hotline? Yes, it's a reason to laugh. And what
about how-to-clean your toilet? This is especially popular
with
dog lovers, though cat lovers may not find it so humorous. It's amazing
some of the crazy thoughts that come from "The Hmuan Mnid".
Family
Matters brings us words
from the mouthes of babes, the views of a child, things my
mother
taught me, and even of the life of Barbie, coming of age.
God's
Humor
is well, perhaps God's sense of humor - He created us, and laughing is
good for us, and all good things come from God . . . See if you agree
when reading "A Kitten from Heaven", or the explanation of life
beginning with God's creation of the dog.
Money
and More
is about money, as expected. It is also about more, sometimes
funny, sometimes practical, sometimes with a bit of insight. It is a
topic often talked about, as long as it doesn't get too personal or
strike too close to home. Maybe that's even okay sometimes.
Aging
Gracefully
groups together a mixture of short thoughts about aging. And there is a
lot of fun and laughing as we grow older, especially if we don't take
life too seriously all the time!
Holiday
stories
may be fun, like Holiday Rum Cake, or they may be very
profound,
like the story of Jeremy and Easter, and the Empty Egg, or the story of
Edith Burns, Do You Believe in Easter. And for Christmas, you
can
write your own story.
Funny and inspirational stories. What do you think of when you hear or read the word, "story"?
What
exactly is a story? Where do stories come from? Why do they
often ring such a chord in our souls? And when did people first
begin storytelling?
This
could be a long discussion. Instead, how about some ideas to get
you started, and you consider when and where storytelling began.
And why stories matter. Actually, the "when did
storytelling begin" is easy to know, yet hard to prove. Stories
have been told from father to son, mother to daughter, friend to
friend, and person to person since the beginning of man on the planet.
And
"where did sharing stories begin" is also easy to understand, yet hard
to prove. Storytelling is universal, across all cultures, across
all geographies, and across all recorded, and unrecorded history.
"Why
do stories matter"? That's the question for philosophers,
scholars, theologians, psychologists, and every man or woman who seeks
to understand the world around them. When a father wants to teach
his son how to be a good father when he grows up, he may share stories
of his own youth. When a grandparent tells stories of their
childhood to their grandkids, they are passing along a personal or
family legacy, that may not be recorded beyond the hearing of those
eager ears.
Oral
traditions were used to remember the great deeds within a culture, long
before written records were invented. We often know of great
kings of old, only through the oral traditions, that were later
recorded. Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" are example of writing
based on oral traditions. Spoken stories were often memorized as
poems, songs, or psalms.
Words
were often written as a way to capture stories, and spread them to
wider audiences. The printing press was a marvel of the time,
putting the stories of the Bible directly into the hands of the masses.
This was the beginning of a storytelling revolution.
And
that was just of the beginning impact of technology on "the story".
In the decades and centuries since the printing press, the means
of passing along a great story have multiplied beyond the wildest
dreams of the early Chinese inventors, or of Johannes Gutenberg
and his printing press in southern Germany.
Consider
how many millions of book pages tell funny stories, dramatic stories,
happy stories, and sad stories. They make you laugh, they make
you cry. Many stories are told the old fashion way, with a new
twist, as audio books. And electronically on your Kindle or Nook
reader.
Stop
and think of the stories you hear inside your favorite music tunes too.
You smile and laugh at "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer".
You listen reverently to the words of the story in "Amazing
Grace". You may even follow the storyline of "The Wall" by Pink
Floyd. Universal, across all styles and languages of the world.
And
what's a good movie without a good story? The best actors in the
world still need that story to make a movie connect with the audience.
Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, father and son, a tragic, and yet
triumphantly inspiring story of the redemption of the father and their
relationship.
Television
comedies and dramas condense those stories into thirty or sixty minutes
of laughter, action, conflict, and resolution. Not to be outdone,
video games like "Super Mario Brothers", "Wing Commander", and "Myst"
relied upon that human need to understand, and enjoy the world through
storytelling. Add the Internet, websites, and stories shared via
email. Stories can be told, retold, and passed along to others with the
click of a button now.
What's
the next phase of storytelling? Great question, unknown answer.
For now, we hope you enjoy reading the stories found hear.
And if you have a great story of your own to add, click on the
feedback link of the left of the page to send it to us!
Do
you remember those great moments with Art Linkletter, "Kids Say the
Darndest Things"? It's true, they make you laugh, they make
you
cry, then make you stop and think for a moment. Their
prayers,
quotes, and letters can be funny, or filled with wisdom. Take
a
moment to look at the world from A Kid's Eye View beginning at A
Child's Insight.
Do you have Encouraging
Faith?
Does God Live Under your Bed?
Does God Whisper? Do you
Carry Your Umbrella? Some stories are funny, some stories are
inspirational. Be encouraged to slow down, and let some of
these
sink into your soul.
It is said at times, that life
is short. Taking The
Long View
includes stories about lifetimes, and relationships that matter, and
eternity. And be sure to read about grandparents and
S-H-M-I-L-Y,
it may touch your heart!
Change
the World
is a collection of inspirational stories of people making a
difference. Whether the classic story involving a telegraph
call,
a tale of the old fisherman, or the lesson from Brother Christianson,
these and others bring pause and thoughtfulness.
Do you ever stop to Smell
the Roses?
Life is busy. Life is fast. It's the age
in which we
live. And it's getting faster every day. There's a
story of
a man driving too fast, when his car was hit by a brick. And
some
wisdom from Erma Bombeck, about Living Life Over. And similar
stories about time, and people, and what's important.
Why?
What? How?
These are stories that seem to lead down an unknown, or
uncharted
path. It is not always clear to see where they are leading.
The
destination often rises unexpectedly, and perhaps profoundly in the
end. Like the Bible-and-the-Coal-Basket, or the
Kings-Highway.
Enjoy these stories and be inspired by the little things in
your
life that may not make sense now, you may discover their true purpose
later.
