Guest Blog: Bringing Joy by Sweetie

I’ve been feeling a bit picked on lately,  like I didn’t get a summer,  I’m turning 50, etc. At work I’ve taken to stopping by my brother's desk and asking him for a funny story to cheer me up.  Many of his stories involve his son who shares some of the same tendencies as my son, the Dog Walker, but in some ways they are polar opposites.

The Dog Walker is 6' 5" and weighs 350 + pounds. My young 14-year-old nephew is not 5 feet high and he is probably under 100 pounds. Anyway, I want to share a couple of the funny stories I’ve heard lately that cheered me up.

The first involves a 50-mile bike ride for scouts. My nephew was struggling to keep up with the pack. He would have a burst of speed and then slow way down. He was falling way behind when the leader noticed his tires were almost flat. They stopped for a minute and pumped them up and off he went. The leader couldn’t keep up with him. 

When my brother found out, he was beside himself. He had filled the tires up the night before. My nephew was so worried about the ride that he checked the air pressure over and over and over.... it just kept getting lower as a little air escaped with each check.   

Oh, did I understand the obsessions! The story warmed my heart. The second story is even better. This very short young man was at youth conference  (a two to three-day trip for youth in our church)  and they were doing baptisms in the Manti temple. The font was extra full and as he went down the stairs and the water approached his neck, he panicked. How was he gong to make it the 5 feet to the adult leader waiting to help him do the baptisms for the dead? Instinct kicked in and he started to swim to the leader. His kicking was especially violent, sending water over 4 feet in the air!  

I can just see all the youth and leaders trying not to laugh out loud. When he finally got there, he looked up at the leader and said something like, "I’m so scared! But I know this is the right thing to do to help others who have already died." And instantly the humorous moment turned into a sweet memory and reminder for all.

Funny stories are interesting. My kids love the story about me in the backyard with the trampoline. They have heard if a hundred times, but it still brings them joy. My dad had a similar story he would tell about a high school dance, a dark night, and a shortcut through a barnyard. Maybe I’ll share that some time soon.  It's one of my favorite childhood memories and it still brings me great joy even if I'm now the one telling it and not my dad.