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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Family Lingo

When I was a little girl and the pastor preached a tad too long on a Sunday morning, my dad would say he burned the roast beef.  This comment was derived from a sermon preached at our family church when I was quite young; the visiting minister shared that his mother would always put a roast in the oven on a Sunday morning, and if the service went too long, the beef would be burned. 

I don't remember that pastor or even how old I was, but that comment has stuck with our family!

Over twenty years ago, my husband and I took our six month old daughter and my two cousins to Sea Life Park near our home on Oahu, Hawaii.  We sat in the splash zone at one of the shows, and two year old Bret didn't like getting wet.  He was a young man of few words, but he did tell us quite firmly, "Don't wanna do that no more."  That phrase too has joined our family vernacular, used when we are quite finished with any activity!

Isn't it funny how each family has its own lingo?  I'll bet you can think of a few phrases which wouldn't have any meaning to someone outside your family, but which when used, evoke a very exact image in your mind. 


It might not seem like such a big deal, but having your own family language is another way of bonding.  It's like an inside joke, a memory only you have.  Certain phrases and words remind us of joyous or bittersweet times.  They link us to people who are no longer with us.

Now that we have a new family member, it's been fun to introduce him to some of our language.  It makes him part of us.

Because family lingo not only sets us apart; it also brings us together.

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