Shut My Mouth!

When I was a young girl I spent many summer days on my grandparent's farm. It was a girl's dream--chickens, goats, cows, and turkeys scrambling around the small farm; millions of places to hide and explore; woods and nature all around; and a loving pair of grandparents to take care of me. It was during one of these visits with them, that I learned a great lesson. My grandfather was (and still is) notorious for ranting and raving about near anything, so during one of his rants, I looked up at a sign hanging on the wall and innocently read it aloud. It said, "Lord, help me this day to keep my big mouth shut!" I'll never forget that moment. My grandmother belly-laughed as she held me in her lap. I couldn't imagine at the time why what I had read was so funny, but I enjoyed her laughter and read that sign over and over until one day I understood what it meant. I can't count the number of times I heard her say, "Hush, James, hush" as she scolded my grandfather during my visits with them. You know there are some days when I wish I could have that sign tied around my neck or my tongue at least!