Give to us laughter, O Source of our life

Give to us laughter, O Source of our life. Walter Farquharson* (1936- ). First published in Praise to the Lord! 12 Modern Hymns with Contemporary Music (Oakville, Ontario, 1974), a production of Farquharson in collaboration with Ron Klusmeier*. This hymn was described by Erik Routley* in A Panorama of Christian Hymnody (1979). It was one of two hymns by Farquharson cited by Routley for their references to Canadian landscape: ‘joining with stars and with bright northern lights,/ laughing and praising and sharing delights’. The text moves from sorrow to laughter and concludes with joy. Even in sorrow and hours of grief, laughter with tears brings most healing relief. God, give us laughter,...