Back when I was an intern at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, it was not uncommon to hear a mother give a history of her child having been admitted in the past with a bad case of “Smilin’ Mighty Jesus.” What they were actually referring to, however, was spinal meningitis.

Well, I liked their phrase, “Smilin’ Mighty Jesus,” and it has stuck with me through the years. A favorite picture of mine is titled “Jesus Laughing.” Surely Jesus must have had a good sense of humor. and in all of us, a sense of humor is probably no more important than it is as we get older.

It has been said that you know you’re getting older when …

• Your children begin to look middle-aged.
• You finally reach the top of the ladder and find its been leaning against the wrong wall.
• You look forward to a dull evening.
• You sit in the rocking chair and can’t get it going.
• A dripping faucet causes an uncontrollable bladder urge.
• Your knees buckle and your belt won’t.
• Your little black book contains only names ending in M.D.
• Your favorite part of the newspaper is “25 Years Ago Today.”

A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit can make one sick. Proverbs 17:22.

B. Craig Ray, M.D.,

family physician and native of Moultrie– B. Craig Ray, M.D., family physician A native of Moultrie, Ga.