PurpAnd

I had a brief chat with my uncle yesterday during which he gave me a little insight into the way my grandfather (the father to my father and my two uncles) used to communicate. My grandfather passed away when I was 8 and I have little memory of him, but I do know that his spirit very much lives on in all three of his children. Memories I’ve retained are very fond memories of him being the life of the party and always carrying a smile on his face.

My uncle said that grandpa never demeaned his kids, or anyone for that matter. While remaining a firm and fair disciplinarian, he was not one to put a person down. In fact, ’stupid’ is an example of a word that wasn’t allowed in the house.

Grandpa was keen on semantics and believed words mattered. He used to say you can’t love ice cream. “Family, you love… ice cream, you like.” Or something to that effect. I think this minor obsession with semantics has passed on to me, and I even see it in my father… something we do in my family I guess.

I know I have annoyed people with my tendency to correct how statements are phrased. If I weren’t me, I am sure I would be frustrated by the corrections and sarcastic questioning. Of course, we all know the classic, “Can I go to the bathroom?” “I don’t know, can you?”

The point is, and my belief is, words matter. If you love ice cream, does that mean there is no difference between how you feel about ice cream and how you feel about your family?