Earlier, I wrote about some expressions our family uses to make a point
and asked you to share yours. A couple of folks responded with cute stories about their own family sayings. One group blamed everything on the brother
away at camp, and the other's involved the statement No Karate in
the kitchen. In both cases, the phrases are still in use. Both made me smile. Thanks for
sharing!
Here are a few more things Terry and I say on a regular basis.
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| I'm happy to say that both boys have grown up to be kind, polite young men! |
Someone has two toys entered
our vocabulary when some of our very young grandchildren were playing together at
a holiday dinner. One particularly impulsive young’un had a habit of grabbing
toys away from the other children. I can still see the earnest face of his
cousin looking up at me as he tactfully voiced a plea for adult intervention. Now when one of us appears to be hogging something, you’ll hear the
other say, Someone has two toys. It’s a great way to make a point
without having a row.
No thank you. It doesn’t look
delicious originated at a Christmas dinner
when our young grandson politely stonewalled his aunt’s efforts
to get him to try gravy on his mashed potatoes. (His response was accompanied
by a small “Stop” hand signal to assure that none of the
suspicious dish made it onto his plate.) Now, if I’m offered a piece of
coconut pie (which is not my favorite flavor), I will politely say, “No, thank you.”
If you see me make a little “Stop” signal with my hand, I could also
be thinking, It doesn’t
look delicious. (Our neighbor, Cissy, has adopted this
remark!)
It’s just right is one of my favorite things to
say to people apologizing for what they consider to be disappointing
outcomes from their efforts. If the cake was lopsided or the roast not so
tender, you could always count on the Dale women to employ the phrase It's
just right – stretching out Juuust for emphasis. Consequently, in our family if
you’ve worked hard at something but are a little embarrassed by
the results and try to apologize, you are bound to hear someone
cut off your apology with the words It’s Just Right! (My
cousin, Larry, uses it and my husband, Terry, has taken it up.)
The person I associate most with
the phrase is my Aunt Dorothy. She and her sister, Betty, were champions
of their nieces and nephews. Memories of her inspired this poem.
Family Motto
Just right, she said,
when you’d done your best
but made a mess.
Just
right.
Just right! She knew the
impulse of the deed was
greater than its final form.
Just
right!
‘Though long she’s slept,
when efforts somehow disappoint,
in my heart I hear her voice,
It’s
juuust right!
Labels: Cousins, Family, Family History, Family Proverbs, Holiday Dinners, Memoir
