Tuesday, October 8, 2013

I do not think that means what you think it means.

Today's adult Sunday School and worship service were focused on building community. Our church leaders often say that "circles are better than rows", which is to say, the corporate worship is important, but accountability and personal growth comes in small groups (life groups/cell groups/discipleship groups). And there is no better way to bond than over food! Big Frog and I often enjoy lunch out with our Deafies after church. Which means that after worship we need to figure out what we want to eat and where.

Now, Big Frog and I are both hearies. And you should know that one of the BIG rules in Deaf Culture is: Don't correct a Deaf person's signs. If a hearie learns a sign from a Deaf person, the Deaf sign is right. Adopt their sign for future use, especially with that individual. By all means, ask for them to repeat it, to clarify, but their sign is right. There is so much regional sign that even from MD, where I learned ASL, to PA, where I live now and interact with Deaf, there are significant differences. Also, I have been signing longer than the Deaf couple at our church. Bite your tongue, girl!! (Bite your hands??)

There are four parts of describing a sign: 1) handshape, 2) location, 3) movement, 4) facial expression.

And changing just one element can be the difference between choosing a place for a TERRIBLE lunch and a LIGHT lunch.

Here are the signs, courtesy of SigningSavvy: TERRIBLE, as compared to LIGHT as in lightweight. The mental link that got twisted, I'm sure, is LIGHT/LAMP.
They also are investigating different options for their next home, now that they've both retired. And prominent among those options is moving to Florida, where they have family. One individual in particular has been poking them for years to move south.

As my RVP said recently, an Action personality, by the time they tell you they're thinking of doing something, they've probably already done it. But a Stable personality researches and deliberates and weighs options.

But what the conscious mind thinks may not be quite what the subconscious mind is working towards. When we asked them what kind of timeframe they were thinking of moving, although the wife voiced YEAR, she signed HOUR.

Hopefully they'll tell me if I don't need to terp this week because they've packed up kit and caboodle and left the state.

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