It is always a pleasure and a very great honor for an author to be invited to write a regular column for a respected publication with a wide and loyal readership. Such is The Banner, the denominational magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. When erstwhile editor-in-chief John Suk told me he was looking for some material that was both humorous and poignant, I jumped at the opportunity. I hoped to provide my readers with stories that would make them chuckle over their morning coffee and also give them something to think about as they went about their daily business. Eight years have gone by now since the column's inception, so it seemed to me that it was high time to gather the stories together between two covers. So here it is - a collection of topics ranging from warbling church mice to operatic moose calls, and from chaos on the farm to wild roosters running amok in the Dutch countryside. But life has its darker side, too. You will come across poignant stories such as the one about a grieving linguistics professor, or a dog who sniffs out his owner's cancer. There is also a longer piece at the end of the book about my own daughter's brush with death. It is my hope that you will take comfort in the knowledge that the tears will eventually be wiped away, and life at last will truly be ever-laughing. I have changed the names of some of the characters to protect the privacy of the individuals who populate these true stories - with the notable exception of Obadiah Kelly, who is already so famous that it's useless to try to hide his identity. I'll bet you didn't know that his name is on your lips almost every day. Read on There is much to learn.