Everyone enjoys a good belly laugh. And now that cabin fever has ballooned into a plague, a roomful of belly laughs may be just what the doctor ordered.

The good ladies of St. Joseph Parish in Fredonia have a knack for knowing just when a quick lift is needed the most. Although staging an event in February is always risky, this time the gamble paid off. Overheard in the registration line: “I worried if I could get out of my driveway, but I knew I had to come here. With this cabin fever, I was ready to kill my husband ready to kill my dog …”

Enter Quiet Whispers Ministry’s Carol Mullins and her delightful program, “Thou Shalt Laugh,” which proved to be a worthy antidote to the gloom and doom of an unforgiving winter. Carol warmed up the audience of 60 chilled-to-the-bone women with a slide show of Christian humor guaranteed to evoke smiles and laughter. The first slide caught everyone’s attention. It read: “The best vitamin for a Christian is B1.” Another gem which offered food for thought: “Blessed are we who laugh at ourselves for we shall never cease to be amused.”

The humorous yet inspirational slides were a fitting prelude to Carol’s one-woman show. This multi-talented lady was an instant hit as, guitar in hand, she led the audience in singing her original uplifting, faith-filled songs. Laughter was everywhere as she rattled off one joke after another with the timing of a veteran comedienne. My favorite: An overly-animated and boisterous preacher, arms flailing and voice booming, was repeatedly yanking at his overly-long microphone cord attached to the sound equipment as he paraded back and forth across the stage. A little boy seated on his mother’s lap in the front row looked at her anxiously and asked, ” Mommy, if he gets loose, is he gonna hurt us?”

Carol hit a bullseye with the group’s age span when she decided to feature Irene Ryan in the slide show. Everyone present immediately recognized the sour-pussed visage of Granny Clampett from the popular 1960s TV series, “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Ironically, one of cranky Granny’s trademarks was her singing of the gospel song, “I’ve got the joy down in my heart.” In a matter of seconds, the group all had that same joy as we sang along to Carol’s guitar accompaniment.

Equally entertaining was the biblical lesson on Sarah and Abraham with the reminder that nothing is impossible with God. Sprinkled with humorous and serious anecdotes, Carol’s talk led up to the most challenging day of her life, when both of her sons had surgery – one as the kidney donor, the other the recipient. The ladies were then encouraged to break into groups and share some of their greatest challenges. Afterward, time was spent in prayerful meditation in St. Joseph Church.

Lessons gleaned from the presentation were many and profound. First and foremost, God is the author of joy. He created it and it’s our job to hang onto it. “A joyful heart is good medicine. But a depressed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22. Smiling makes people around you feel great, so never underestimate the power of a simple smile. You can’t be joyful and not affect people around you; you also can’t be miserable and not affect people around you, so choose JOY! Negative people suck the life out of others.

Happiness is great, but joy is better. It’s deeper and let’s you know that everything is under control even during bad times. The ultimate joy comes from giving of ourselves to others. Just ask Josie Christopher, who was quick to point out that the volunteers are the heartbeat of her Circle of Love group which ministers to cancer patients.

Post-program comments included, “It’s a great emotional release to be here after being pent up from all this cold weather and tension.” “I love the incorporation of music and laughter and humorous stories.” “The best thing about this women’s retreat is the healing laughter in the room because it revitalizes everyone.”

Yes, the program may have been over, but the good men of St. Joseph’s were not to be outdone. Deacon Mike Lemieux had prepared a lavish meal for the participants guaranteed to make even Irene Ryan smile. But few among us could have anticipated what happened next.

The high-spirited sendoff was none other than the St. Joe’s version of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” video, sung by Matt Burr and Caleb Reynolds and featuring the all-male kitchen and wait staff. Without question, Mike Reynolds’ chair dance put the exclamation point on that performance.

How effective was this retreat? All who came in grumpy left smiling. But more important, my discussion group had included a woman who was struggling far more than the rest of us, fighting back tears and unable to move on from her loss. At lunch, she found herself seated among some full-of-the-dickens type seniors. Hearing some hysterical laughter, I glanced over at their table and saw this woman tentatively smile, then laugh.

Which brought the joy, joy, joy joy down to my heart.

Mary Ann Herrington is an OBSERVER Staff Writer. Send comments to mherrington@observertoday.com