And God Laughs!

As I travel, watch television, and listen to hundreds of people in and out of hospitals in a wide range of communities, there is one major human experience that confronts us. Grief. Your own grief, the grief of friends, the grief of people you have never met, incidents of grief from major natural disasters, and from increasingly violent human interactions. Many talk therapists, available talk therapy and counselors, are involved in helping. Yet incidents of violent human aggression, deadly shootings and environmental abuse, rapidly rise. This book shows: 1.How humor played a positive role in the events and conflicts of many different religions. 2.How humor can be a form of self-care, of mindful meditation, and of grace. 3.How humor helps you cope with major loss, repeated devastations and bereavement. If you are not gifted as a stand-up comedian, this book is especially for you! Joseph McD Hepburn BA(Theol.), MA, MPhil, DTh, ACC. Joseph Hepburn is a retired Minister of Religion, after which he has served as a certified Hospital Chaplain for the past thirteen years. His hobbies include astronomy (yes there is humor in the skies too!), reading delightful and humorous narratives and biographies, and walking. Joseph earned a BA degree in Theology in Jamaica, with his project on the The Religious Implications of Humor in West Indian Society, a Master's degree in Ethics from Drew University, and a Doctoral degree in Clinical Pastoral Psychotherapy, with a dissertation on Humor as a tool in Collective and Cumulative Grief. After two marriages, two children, two grandchildren and two retirements, Joseph now serves as a per diem Chaplain in Hollywood, USA.