February 6 - The Healing Power of Community and Laughter

The oldest woman in my church holds a candle during a special service to celebrate the ordination of women as deacons, elders and ministers.

By Magdalena I. García

This morning I attended the monthly meeting of Hispanic Women at my church, which usually gathers mostly women of my mother’s generation. They used to meet the first Saturday of the month at 5:00 p.m., but since many of them don’t drive and others are getting to the age where one generally goes to bed with the chickens and rises with the roosters, they switched their meetings to 10:00 a.m. A side benefit of this schedule change has been that they bring lunch and invite the caballeros (gentlemen) to join them, since Hispanic Men have a work day at the same time.

Occasionally, you might hear me complain over frustration with the lack of assertiveness these ladies (or damas, as they continue to call themselves, despite many workshops on more inclusive terms for women) tend to exhibit. But this morning, as they sat around the table and joked and laughed, I was reminded of a wonderful quality they possess: the ability to laugh, no matter what they might be facing, and the desire to play.

Most of these women experienced hardship and loss from a young age: they grew up in working-class families where they were expected to do chores and received no allowance; most did not finish high school and their continuing education has been limited to soap operas; they married young and overnight became housekeepers in an era when it took more than pressing a button or turning a dial to get the laundry done; they raised several children without all the amenities of contemporary society—no prepared baby food, no babysitting by TV cartoons, no summer camp—; they left their countries of origin and their extended family, often not by choice, but following their husbands and the dream of a better life for their children; they have learned to live with all kinds of limitations—such as physical, financial, and linguistic—without

Let’s be clear, you’re probably not going to get a strategic plan or a financial analysis out of this group. They’ve learned to take things one day at a time. And yet, when they get together, there is such joy! It’s like having a group of fifth graders in the room: all they do is giggle and act silly. But there is nothing wrong with getting a few belly-aching, therapeutic laughs. And there is nothing ordinary about overcoming huge obstacles—like isolation and depression—by bonding together in community. I’d say their monthly giggling session is a serious lesson on the healing power of community and laughter. And there is nothing silly about that!