APRIL 2018

I remember being in middle school and hearing the hilarious jokes that my peers would conjure up for April 1st, each year. And as evident as it was the first of April, some seemingly unknowing teacher would always end up on the receiving end of the light-hearted laughs. In hindsight, I now realize that while there is definitely a history to April Fools’ Day, the bigger importance for us was experiencing the joy of laughter!

In this world of education, with recent mandates, changes to state accountability models, and national school safety concerns, one can easily become so focused on attending to those important task that they forget about the true joy that should be bouncing around in our schools. And the same in true for life in general. We can become so entangled with the necessary day-to-day tasks of being a parent, a partner, a leader in your church, or member of an organization that we forget to simply enjoy the amazingness of life! While no one can deny that things can become stressful and overwhelming, if we allow them, there are still so many things that we should celebrate!
There has been research conducted that found that smiling can help to reduce stress, increase feelings of happiness, and even can help produce feelings of contentment. So ultimately, April has been no fool. She has simply been trying to tell to us, for years, that we need to intentionally turn our frowns upside down and enjoy our precious time here on this earth. I want to encourage you to smile more, laugh more, and live your life more joyfully!