Joy doesn't always bring laughter, and laughter doesn't always bring joy. But more often than not, laughter removes some of the joy constrictors in our lives.

I flashed on two memories of my early school days, when an elementary school teacher at an inservice training session asked, “What should I do when all the kids in my class are cracking up with laughter and it's getting to be too much? I'm afraid they will get out of control and won't be able to concentrate on their lessons.” The other teachers in the group nodded in understanding. The looks on their faces told me they were all familiar with that kind of giggling, cackling, and irrepressible outburst. I had participated in scenes like that when I was in elementary school, and I wondered if they had, too.