You can think you withhold love, shutting off your heart, but to a person who really loves us, knows us, stands witness to the love within and around us, they will not see the love cease just because we are upset. Instead, they respond to our withdrawal by extending even more love to us. That is what makes sacredness in relationship.

Be such a person to others and you will find your Self. Have you ever thought someone was seriously doing something that shocked, saddened, or angered you, only to find out they were simply playing a practical joke? That then it all became entertaining and funny, like being “had” on April Fools’ Day?

But what if you did not ever realize the joke, and stayed upset over something that was not even remotely true? Or what if you forgot it was a joke and stopped laughing at other mad ideas that unfolded from what was really all just a crazy ruse to begin with?

Today I laughed out loud during my meditation, realizing the biggest joke ever played on my mind is the idea that there is something other than love, something other than the present, that some person or circumstance has the power to take away my peace of mind. The greatest practical joke has been that I could even possibly be a victim of the world, and there have been so many players in the gag for so many years! Today I laugh at the thought I could be a victim.

Now I only hope that I can remember to laugh when one of the players in life pulls the gag on me again, which I know will certainly happen again soon. May I remember to laugh my way into eternity and endless peace.