sign language

Emma Jean has long fancied herself quite the linguist. We joke that English is like a second language to her (she has major semantic-pragmatic issues ~ we call it shue-bonics, shue is part of our surname). She also imagines herself to be fluent in Spanish and French. She has recently taken to American Sign Language, although it is really more of a gesticulating shue-bonics. Anyway, she regularly approaches me with these elaborate hand jives that she then interprets for me.

At dinner recently she broke into one such signing extravaganza and then informed Abby, "This means 'pass the salt.'"

After a pregnant pause, a totally deadpan Abby did a simple gesture and replied, "This means, 'No.'

Abby's comic timing was perfect. You could have knocked Emma Jean over with a feather.

Total spent on interventions so far: $155,000

Dinner conversation at the house of shue: PRICELESS, in any language.

"When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,

"The LORD has done great things for them."

The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:1-3