More lay-offs, closer to home

This morning’s best conversation:
Luke, carrying a briefcase-like box that formerly contained cans of dog food, labeled “The Gourmet Lunch Box,” goes to Levi’s room and knocks on the door, in continuation of whatever game they were playing. Obviously, it was set in the workplace. At some point in the exchange, it mutated from their game to reality.

Levi: You’re fired!
Luke: Fired?!? You can’t fire me! You’re not my BOSS!! (This is where Luke gets real.)
Levi: Yes, I am!
Luke: No, you’re not! Daddy is!
Levi: Well, you’re fired!
Luke: Idiot!!

I followed up this dramatic scene with a couple drops of super tonic on Luke’s tongue for calling names, and a good lecture on speaking kindly to one another, referencing one of our favorite verses for family instruction. Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. How often we have used that verse! How much more often should we use it as adults? That is one that should be ingrained in our memories, and used daily. Maybe when the boys are teenagers and start wanting a tattoo, we will agree on one condition… only if you get Proverbs 15:1, in it’s entirety. Then again… maybe we’ll just say no.

Last night, we attended church services as we usually do, but this one was part of a gospel meeting held by the Spanish-speaking congregation. We alternated hymns from English to Spanish ones, and I have to say it felt a little like a sing-off. Not that it was really a competition, but it was like half of the building sang one, then the other half sang one, and so on. Then the lesson was presented by an English-speaking preacher, and translated by a Spanish-speaking brother. That is also quite entertaining, as I told Craig, because it looks like the translator is mimicking the preacher. Not that it took away from the preaching of the Word, in all seriousness, but it is still amusing. The preacher would say a sentence or two, or half a sentence, then the translator would repeat it in Spanish, often making some of the same hand-motions and using the same vocal dynamics. I think, if I attended translated services enough, I could be fluent in Spanish in no time. I know quite a bit, but my usage is terrible, and I can’t conjugate verbs into past or future tense. However, when you hear each phrase translated, it helps so much! I wish we had them more often! Not to mention, the building was FULL, and that is unusual for a Wednesday night service. Tonight, the lesson will be in Spanish, with no translator, so we won’t be attending.

I’ve procrastinated long enough… time to pack the camper.