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Laughter Through Tears is the Best Emotion

Laughter Through Tears is the Best Emotion
I met Melanie Shankle on the internet. I laugh as I write that, but it’s true. She and I began blogging around the same time many years ago, and fortunately for me, we eventually crossed paths in real life. I felt an immediate connection to Melanie, not just because we were both tackling the brave new world of social media at the same time, but because her unmistakable, irresistibly dry-but-warm humor simply drew me in. One has no choice; just a short conversation and you become an instant Melanie fan.

So Melanie and I are friends. But she also happens to be one of my very favorite writers. Having inhaled her blog and devoured her books for years, I can still plop down, start reading, and find myself laughing within the first five minutes. Melanie has this consistent ability to pull you in with hilarious recollections (usually rich in pop culture references), self-deprecating observations (so, so funny), and family anecdotes that are vividly relatable and real.

But here’s the kicker—and the truly magical thing about Melanie: Just when you think the girl is 24/7 funny, she’ll throw you a major curveball with a poignant moment. A tender reflection. A spiritual contemplation. A painful memory. And then you have tears in your eyes. The next thing you know, you’re crying. (Related note: Have a box of Kleenexes handy as you read certain passages in this book. Consider yourself warned.) But then . . . you guessed it! A classic Melanie one-liner that makes you laugh out loud through the tears.

Dolly Parton’s character in Steel Magnolias had it right: Laughter through tears really is the best emotion.

Melanie’s previous books have covered motherhood, marriage, and friendship in beautiful detail. But Church of the Small Things is, I think, my favorite.

With her signature wit and wisdom, Melanie shows us that life is about the small moments, the small memories, the small achievements. We all have them. And when we learn to embrace them, we will see that it really is the small things that make up this beautiful thing called life. As I was reading the manuscript for this book, I sent Melanie a text along the lines of “My gosh, I love this book so much.”

It’s a good one, friends. I know you’ll love it as much as I did.

Excerpted with permission from the foreword Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle. Published by Zondervan.

You’re Invited to Our Next Online Bible Study

We hope you will join us for Church of the Small Things Online Bible Study

with Melanie Shankle, getting started the week of October 22.

This is a grab-your-girlfriends, find laughter through tears kind of study!

… And like Ree said, you’ll love the book too!

> Sign up to get FREE access to all six weeks of study videos, FREE downloads, and immediate access to chapters 1-3 of the book so you can start reading now!