Three Reasons To Not Laugh in Church

Yesterday,

we were discussing

hemidemisemiquaver and semihemidemisemiquaver.

Yeah! Really we were.

On the way to school the other morning,

our daughter was looking at the Sunday church bulletin

which had been left in the car.

There was  a cute little piece of musical note clip art,

charmingly inserted

into the graphic with a choir announcement

which caught her eye.

She said, ” Mom, what kind of a note is that?”

We discussed it and came to the conclusion that it was a 64th note.

She’s learning to play 8th notes on the clarinet

and this raised the discussion

of how quickly that  note would be played.

So in church yesterday, Philip leaned over and showing me the same piece of musical note clip art

on the updated choir announcement, asked,

“What kind of note is that?”

As though I’m some kind of expert on musical notation…

insert chuckle…

In music a 64th note is played for 1/64th of the duration of a whole note

and a 128th note is played for 1/128th the duration of a whole note.

These types of notes would move very quickly.

Insanely quickly.

These type notes are rare in printed music but not unknown,

according to Wikipedia, if you believe Wikipedia that is..

So a hemidemisemiquaver  is a 64th note

 and

a semihemidemisemiquaver  is a 128th note!

And now YOU know too!

You’re welcome.

Aren’t we silly?

But all that has absolutely nothing to do with laughing in church.

If you grew up in church the way I did,

sitting on a front row pew

before your feet even reached the edge,

every time the doors were open,

piano side,

then,

 you know that laughing

in church

 is absolutely the worst!

Worst EVER!

 The harder you try to stop

the worse it gets.

Yesterday, IT happened.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to stop.

Philip leaned over

and quietly asked me a question,

I might add that it was the same question

I had asked HIM the week before.

And the question had nothing to do with anything,

except the lighting on the stage.

And in that moment I realized just how ridiculous my question had sounded the week before, and the reason for Philip’s blank expression  except for his widening eyes when I had asked him.

And I lost it.

No sound.

Just shuddering!

I thought I wouldn’t be able to stop..

…laughing…

BUT I DID!

Three reasons it’s not a very good idea to laugh in church:

1. If the choir is singing and a choir member sees you , she may begin to wonder if her choir robe is hanging at an awkward angle, and maybe you think it’s hilariously funny.
2. If the Pastor is delivering his sermon for which he has so meticulously prepared, he may begin to wonder what he said that you think is hilariously funny.
3. People start looking at you and wondering what they missed that you think is hilariously funny.