In today’s issue of MountainWings (www.mountainwings.com), an inspirational daily e-mail thought-provoker, Ted Janusz of Hilliard, Ohio reminds us of something that I find amazing. He quotes from CrazyAboutTV.com (I’m trying to make sure nobody misses credit for their material here) as saying that the final sketch on most of the old Red Skelton tv show would be a silent performance. The only noises were sound effects and the laughter and applause of the audience. They note that for decades, this laughter was used as a laugh track for most other TV comedies. They go on to say thatit is still sometimes used today. The point of the writer is that these folks whom we often hear laughing during today’s TV sit-coms have often passed away! They are gone and their laughter continues after them.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: you think I’m going to say that if they looked at the state of the world today they’d be crying rather than laughing. If they saw some of the ways that things have changed, they’d be rolling over in their graves. That wasn’t even my first thought!

My first thought is that when I am gone, I hope someone will remember something I said and let it make them feel better. I hope that when I am gone, someone will remember some silly remark I made, or maybe even some silly moment (like the time the cell phone went off during the Christmas Eve Communion service) and just feel a little better because of something that happened. I’d rather be heard on a laugh track after I’m gone than on a “whine track.”

One of my seminary roommates and best friends since then was Dr. Mark Long. When Mark passed away, one of the pastors who spoke reminded us of Mark’s words as they were broadcast during the funeral of Susan Smith’s boys. People who didn’t know him will remember his deep voice, his faithful sense of God’s love and grace, and his calmness in the middle of the tragedy.

Laugh track– faith track– how much of the good we do lives on when we are gone? How would you like to be remembered?

God bless each one, Gene Feagin, Pastor