Introduction I am both a photographer as well as a hospice chaplain (I work with the terminally ill.). Because of that I view the world differently than most. I see both beauty and heartache daily. Since working with hospice I have come to see how short and how precious life is. As with beauty, life is such a gift, something we should never take for granted. In ministering to patients I have found that a well-timed joke or story is often just what the doctor ordered. Time and time again patients have told me how much they look forward to my visits, not only because I help them view their problems from a different perspective, but because I bring a smile to their faces. When we’re able to laugh, our problems don’t seem quite as bad. For example, many patients struggle with forgetfulness because of age or the strong medications they’re on. I ask them, “Do you know there are three signs of old age? The first one is forgetfulness...and...uh...I can’t recall the other two.”—They laugh, and suddenly being forgetful isn’t so bad. In this book I share some of my favorite jokes. Please take them in the kind spirit in which they’re shared. Being part Swedish, my sister lives in Texas, and having many patients who are Catholic or Baptist, I have some Swedish, Texas, Catholic and Baptist jokes in this book. I mean no insult to any of these groups. Besides photography, I love to write. In this book I’ve included numerous short stories and parables which I’ve written. I also love to collect provocative quotes and sayings which touch both mind and heart. It will not be hard for you to discover that C.S. Lewis, Peter Kreeft, John Eldredge, Pascal, and Bill Hybels are some of my favorite authors since the many of quotes are from them. If this book brightens your day, lifts your spirits, or in any way draws you closer to God, then it will have served its purpose. —Enjoy!
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