My daughter is a piece of work. She will say the most uncanny things and not know how funny she is. We have a long list of Annieisms – sayings of Annie that defy explanation, and the following, from her college undergraduate days, tops the list.
Annie was out on a study break once with a number of girls on her floor. They were all drinking the same soft drink that came with trivia questions printed inside the bottle caps. One of them was requesting the number of wharf towns on the western coast of the United States. Well, being an expert on the west coast of California, Annie picked that one to answer before she had a chance to even figure out what a wharf town was. That launched her into a number of confusing questions about her utter amazement that there were actually towns on the west coast built specifically for little people. How could she have missed this, having lived here most here life? She wanted to know how extensive these towns were and whether everything was to scale. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was a splendid idea to be so accommodating of people with such a challenge. And the more she talked like this, the more confused her friends became until one of them finally realized what as going on.
“It’s ‘wharf’ town, Annie, not ‘dwarf’ town! You’re thinking of dwarfs; this is not a town of dwarfs, it’s a town along the coast big enough to have a wharf – a place where you can store or dock your boat. We’ve laughed about this one numerous times and we still look for the opportune time to kid Annie about her “dwarf” towns.
This is a humorous way to bring home the point that we can never be quite sure everyone is hearing what we think they are hearing. Communication is a delicate activity. You must never assume you are getting across to people. Ask them. Ask them to tell you what they heard, and ask the Holy Spirit to receive what is true and blow away the rest.
John Fischer The Catch 
I have a few of those from my kids. My daughter, when she was about 6 or 7, was lamenting of the loss of her latest “true love who she was going to marry some day”, and I gave her the standard answer, “There are plenty of fish in the sea”. To which she answered through her tears, “But Daddy, I can’t marry a fish!”.
And my son, while sniffing the air in our neighborhood and catching a whiff of someone’s barbecue, said, “Smells like someones having a steak out!”.
Great advice, thanks. Mis-communication is one of the hazards it seems of email and other electronic communication for me.
See, this is why I like your postings so much. So many people write “devotionals” and get all preachy or feel like they have to quote or explain scripture in every one. And yours are so much more down to earth, and often, as in this case, just applications of common sense wrapped in an interesting story. Thanks, and keep ’em coming!
Following up on the Dwarf Town thought… I know a very wonderful dwarf family that live just a few miles from me. Although I don’t subscribe to cable TV and have never seen the TLC program Little People Big World, I can tell you truthfully that the Roloff’s are amazing and wonderful people. I met them at church a dozen years ago, we’ve had church picnics at their farm, I’ve played soccer with them (Zach is awe inspiring as he dribbles around you – or maybe my center of gravity is just too high – OK, it’s my skill level that isn’t high enough), my daughter plays volleyball with Molly (talk about tall and talented with a truly wicked serve) and I could go on and on.
One day at a volleyball game when there were no cameras in sight (and yes, occasionally there have been cameras at school events,) it was between sets, and I just sat back in the gym bleachers and people watched – two people in particular. Amy and Molly were having a little mom/daughter down-time chat. I couldn’t hear the conversation because of the noise in the gym and I was too far away and I can’t read lips, but to see the joy and love that this mom and daughter share was really touching. Molly’s eyes were absolutely sparkling as she looked into her mom’s eyes and listened to what her mom was saying. And yes, I am talking about a 16 year old girl.
You know, gossipy rumors suck. Throughout the past few years false rumors have spread about one thing and another that the Roloffs haven’t done, and it’s just plain stupid. And even ‘Christians’ participate in the stupidity. Is anybody perfect? I am aware of only one person who ever has been perfect; and that puts all of the rest of us in the same boat. And you know what happens if you put too many people in one boat. We need help. Does anyone never stumble in the slightest way? And as soon as the stupid, gossipy rumor passes from my lips, I have just participated in placing a stumbling stone in the path of another person; a stone so small, that they might not be aware of its presence, and wham! Down they go, too. And why? So I could make myself feel a little better about myself because I don’t have the ‘problem’ that I heard that ‘they’ do; whoever ‘they’ may be and whatever the ‘problem’ might be.
Until I find myself in that situation, and ‘the rumor’ happened to me. And now I have a very small idea of the level of stupidity that people dumped, and continue to dump, on Jesus. And now also I know that I can receive comfort from One who has been dumped on in life in the same way that I am being dumped on. And now I know that I can take healing to others who have been dumped on in similar ways. We never understand why we’re being dumped on until later on when our eyes are opened and we can see God at work.
I have an Annie also.. my youngest.. They seem similar…Hmmmm?