We’re So Sorry

When we get it wrong on Laugh Again, we make it right

Have you ever told a story that you later learned was false? Here on Laugh Again we do our best to research each story we tell, but we don’t always get it right. Consider this our first—and hopefully last—Laugh Again apology blog. I’m not talking about those we have offended. These include cat lovers, bagpipe players, airport security personnel, cheapskates, accordion players, and anyone who regularly puts ferrets down their pants. (I mentioned this practice and a few “athletes” were displeased).

As I apologize, I remember being forgiven in ninth grade for throwing a dripping wet watercolor sponge at classmate Debbie Milne. Debbie ducked. It hit my Art teacher Mrs. Firth. She forgave me. I’ve never forgotten.

So let me apologize for the recent broadcast wherein I told of Bob, the man who bought a broken-down Harley motorcycle at a garage sale for next to nothing, then found “Elvis Presley” inscribed under the seat. Jay Leno even got in on the bidding. Sadly, it never happened. I really wish it had, but alert listener Neil pointed out my mistake and he was right. Forgive me Neil. I will not tell it again. That story has left the building.

But the following story is certifiably factual: In 1989, a Philadelphia man bought an old painting for $4 at a flea market and began investigating a tear in the canvas. The frame fell apart, revealing an old, folded document. The Declaration of Independence. The appraiser told him it was one of 500 original copies printed in 1776. There were only twenty-three known copies in existence. Just two were privately owned. At auction it fetched $2.42 million. Far more than Elvis’s fictional Harley.

Sometimes priceless treasures show up in unremarkable places. Hidden away in flea markets, under old picture canvases, behind a wrinkled smile. Maybe you feel unremarkable today. But if the value of an object is determined by the price paid for it, you are worth more than any original document. Genesis 1:27 says you were made in God’s image. According to Psalm 139, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And woven through the entire story of Jesus is this: he loved you to death. In him, you are valued and loved. True story. By grace, through faith, we can be forgiven. Even if we’ve thrown water colour sponges or told a fib over the radio.

Check our store for Phil’s golf book Under Par.