When You Need a Good Laugh


Book Description

Facing the imminent death of a loved one can be a difficult and oftentimes painful experience. To help, well-known author Cecil Murphey and hospice chaplain Gary Roe share what they've learned from their personal and professional grief and healing experiences: how to forgive past mistakes--both one's own and the loved one's--affirm the life of the one passing, and give that one permission to let go of this life. Michal Sparks' serene illustrations add a soothing touch to this encouraging gift book for those experiencing and grieving the death of a loved one.




Help! I'm Laughing and I Can't Get Up


Book Description




A Love That Laughs


Book Description

One of the secrets of a great marriage is laughing together. Couples don’t need to choose between work and play, duty and fun, laughter and responsibility. This book will help couples learn how to use fun, humor, and laughter to lighten the load of everyday life, reduce stress, and grow closer together.




Good for a Laugh


Book Description

A collection the author's funny quips and stories.




Help I've Fallen and Need a Good Laugh!


Book Description

When life slams you to the floor, you need a pick-me-up. Grogan's stories will get you off the floor, get you laughing, and help you put things into perspective! Includes over 100 humorous stories that are certifiably funny.




Don't Laugh at Me


Book Description

Illustrated version of a song pointing out that in spite of our differences, we are all the same in God's eyes.




The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh


Book Description

When life is funny, make some jokes about it. Billy Plimpton has a big dream: to become a famous comedian when he grows up. He already knows a lot of jokes, but thinks he has one big problem standing in his way: his stutter. At first, Billy thinks the best way to deal with this is to . . . never say a word. That way, the kids in his new school won’t hear him stammer. But soon he finds out this is NOT the best way to deal with things. (For one thing, it’s very hard to tell a joke without getting a word out.) As Billy makes his way toward the spotlight, a lot of funny things (and some less funny things) happen to him. In the end, the whole school will know -- If you think you can hold Billy Plimpton back, be warned: The joke will soon be on you!




If You Want to Make God Laugh


Book Description

A rich, unforgettable story of three unique women in post-Apartheid South Africa who are brought together in their darkest time and discover the ways that love can transcend the strictest of boundaries. In a squatter camp on the outskirts of Johannesburg, seventeen-year-old Zodwa lives in desperate poverty, under the shadowy threat of a civil war and a growing AIDS epidemic. Eight months pregnant, Zodwa carefully guards secrets that jeopardize her life. Across the country, wealthy socialite Ruth appears to have everything her heart desires, but it's what she can't have that leads to her breakdown. Meanwhile, in Zaire, a disgraced former nun, Delilah, grapples with a past that refuses to stay buried. When these personal crises send both middle-aged women back to their rural hometown to heal, the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby upends everything, challenging their lifelong beliefs about race, motherhood, and the power of the past. As the mystery surrounding the infant grows, the complicated lives of Zodwa, Ruth, and Delilah become inextricably linked. What follows is a mesmerizing look at family and identity that asks: How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves?




Inside Jokes


Book Description

Some things are funny -- jokes, puns, sitcoms, Charlie Chaplin, The Far Side, Malvolio with his yellow garters crossed -- but why? Why does humor exist in the first place? Why do we spend so much of our time passing on amusing anecdotes, making wisecracks, watching The Simpsons? In Inside Jokes, Matthew Hurley, Daniel Dennett, and Reginald Adams offer an evolutionary and cognitive perspective. Humor, they propose, evolved out of a computational problem that arose when our long-ago ancestors were furnished with open-ended thinking. Mother Nature -- aka natural selection -- cannot just order the brain to find and fix all our time-pressured misleaps and near-misses. She has to bribe the brain with pleasure. So we find them funny. This wired-in source of pleasure has been tickled relentlessly by humorists over the centuries, and we have become addicted to the endogenous mind candy that is humor.




Positive Discipline


Book Description

THE KEY TO DISCIPLINE IS NOT PUNISHMENT, BUT MUTUAL RESPECT All parents try to do their best--but the best of intentions don't always produce the best results. Dr. Jane Nelsen, an experienced psychologist, educator, and mother, believes that children misbehave when they feel thwarted in their need to belong and in their need for love and attention. An authoritative approach, using phrases like " Because I said so!" , will only lead to rebellious behavior. Instead, parents need basic principles that bring them and their children closer. They need Positive Discipline. Dr. Nelsen explains that parents who use kindness and firmness to teach life skills will encourage self-respect, self-discipline, cooperation, good behavior, and problem-solving skills in their children. In Positive Discipline, revised and updated for the '90s, she shows all of us, parents and teachers alike, exactly how her practical program works--answering, step-by-step, such important questions as: *What works better than punishment to teach children positive, good behavior? *What mistakes do most parents make " in the name of love" ? *How can parents turn their mistakes into assets? *How can praise be dangerous? *What are the dangers of trying to be " Super Mom" ? *How can teachers avoid discipline problems in the classroom? " It is positive! It works! It saves your sanity! And it is easy to share with others." --Julie Pope, Parent Sacramento, CA " As a parent and psychotherapist, I have found enormous value and practical wisdom in Positive Discipline. It conveys a win/win atmosphere for parents and children. The techniques are so easy tolearn and fun to use...Anyone following these concepts will see almost instant results and big smiles on the faces of their children." --Katherine Dusay, Psychotherapist San Francisco, CA