"Sit down!" said Sunday in a voice he used once or twice in his life, a voice that made men drop drawn swords."
I've used that voice a little more than once or twice in my life (probably leading to it's lack of effect in helping the children drop their swords, a fact I need to keep in mind) and I know that voice. It is the voice of a mother, trying to get her children all at the table at the same time so the meal (getting cold) can start.
I vividly recall just such a time, when the four of us were all talking and my mother wanted us to pray and eat.
"Shut up!" she shouted. (We all thought she had sworn. We were not allowed to use this kind of vocabulary in our house.) It was completely effective, and that was the only time she ever said that. And the shock of it still hasn't worn off.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
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Blessed are the mothers who are so mannerly - when they do speak, people listen! I remember my own mom once referring to 'the blooming dog,' a particular pejorative I've not met elsewhere. Nonetheless, her displeasure was evident.
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