Waiting for a good laugh

I just came across a condolence note I'd written to the daughter of a friend who died a few years ago, and in the letter I recalled that my friend always said, "Remember, a year from now you will laugh about this." What excellent advice! Now if I could just remember it in the heat of the moment. Or perhaps it makes things all the funnier, and I'll laugh all the harder, if I don't remember in the moment.