The tragedy of September 11th was so sudden, so enormous, and so horrendous, both in terms of lives lost and global consequences, that this country and the world went into immediate and prolonged shock.

Our attitudes are the crayons that color our world.

Laughter, and the broader category of humor, are key elements in helping us go on with our life after a loss.

When we are dealing with death we are constantly being dragged down by the event: Humor diverts our attention and lifts our sagging spirits.

Sometimes it takes ten seconds to see some humor in your dilemmas, sometimes ten years.

Humor can help you cope with the unbearable so that you can stay on the bright side of things until the bright side actually comes along.

Humor does not diminish the pain - it makes the space around it get bigger.