So, it was the week before Christmas, and Jim and I were in Mardel, picking up a few gifts for his children - namely music for his son Michael - and I was looking through their t-shirt selections, trying to find one that was appropriately guitar-themed, one that Michael might dig ... and I came across one that made me burst out laughing, right there in the store, much to my embarrassment and the curiosity of several other shoppers. Seeing as how all their t-shirts were on sale, and seeing as how Jim had previously asked for assistance and advice when it came to gift ideas for me, I grabbed it and brought it to him, and said,
"You have to buy this for me for Christmas."
And when I opened it on Christmas morning, and held it up to show my parents, my mother burst into hysterical laughter. "Do you remember...?"
"Of course I do! That's why... hee hee hee!"
And Jim and Dad looked really confused.
You see, it isn't just the cute play-on-words that tickled me, because it's not that funny. There's a deeper story behind this particular shirt.
From 1990-1992, my family was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. My father was a Chief Warrant Officer with the 131st Combat Support Hospital (US Army) and our family had quarters at Robinson Barracks. While my Dad was deployed for the first Gulf War, my mother and brother and I attended the Protestant church services at the RB Chapel. At some point during that time, the Chaplain, who had been serving there for years and who we really liked, retired. We were in church the day they introduced his replacement.
Now, I will be the first to admit that being a military chaplain is an extremely difficult job. And I'm certain that the new Chaplain was a wonderful man with a heart for sharing the word of the Lord. But when he stepped forward that day, and folded his hands, and bowed his head, and said, "Lettuce Play..."
... it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. Right there, in the middle of church.
You see, he was a non-native English speaker, and he had a really, really, really strong accent. He had trouble with a lot of consonant sounds, like those r's coming out as l's. The next few words sounded something like, "Heabenwy Pater, we tank chew por da bwessings ..." and my brain simply would not engage. I wanted to be kind, and I did not want to laugh at the chaplain, but from that day on, I began having a really hard time attending church services. It was such a struggle to decipher exactly what he was saying that by the time I managed to figure it out, I didn't have time to let the message itself sink in.
It had a huge impact on me, teaching me that communication is about more than just the words you choose ... it's in the way you say those words, and in the way those words are heard. It's one of the reasons I take my skill development in public speaking so seriously to this very day.
Now, it's a funny story to tell, and I get a giggle out of the t-shirt. "Lettuce pray" ... hee hee hee!
Yes, it's so delightfully naughty ... totally me, yes? I need this shirt. So yeah, I think I'm going to make it a goal reward. When I stay on program through the next weeks of Dealer Meeting travel, I'll order this from Cafe Press (click here to see it in their store) as a bit of a reward.
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