My mother, brother and I were in the barn watching the antics of our black Lab with amusement. She was trying to catch the water streaming out of the barn’s faucet, snapping wildly at it causing water to fly every which way. Then as the bucket filled, it made bubbles in the bottom and Mariah decided there was something down in there. She submerged her head trying to catch the bubbles. She would come out for a breath, snort and sneeze, then go back for more. It was such a funny sight that we all had a good laugh and were disappointed to see the bucket fill up.
Later, I thought about how wonderful it is to have a good time in a wholesome way. In the world, much of what passes for humor is either vulgar or at the expense of others. We do well to stay clear of that sort of laughter, but we can be happy and laugh. Our animals often do that for us.
I remember the time that our horse, Yankee, delighted my daughter and me by spying on us while we were working in the barn. We looked up and there was a big brown eye and one very intent ear peeking around the barn door, trying to see what we were doing. An animal as big as a horse trying to be invisible is a funny sight!
Our cockatiel, Sydney, can laugh so heartily that I have seen a room full of visitors rolling with merriment just from listening to him. Laughter is contagious. Even more so when coming from a little gray bird.
There are so many little ways that animals bring pleasure to our daily life. There is joy in watching a party of baby sparrows splashing in our bird bath. We chuckle at the sight of our Lab, asleep on his back with all four legs up in the air, or the cleverness of a hen evading the rooster by getting between Yankee’s front feet.
All of these sights bring us pleasure and they smooth the sharp edges of heartache and trials. We feel that animals are a gift from our Father to cheer and enrich our days, and for us to freely enjoy.
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Prov. 17:22).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One