There are many aspects of family that make my heart warm. For instance, sometimes we all break into song, each finding a harmony. We do the same thing with rhythm. Other times we do silly games, and it is one such silly game that sparked my writing today. It is called, “Oh I hate that!”

To start a round of “Oh I hate that”, one family member has to say something crazy, like, “I fell in a giant can of asparagus the other day. Don’t you just hate that?” Then it becomes a game, each trying to outdo the other with whatever ridiculous situation they make up. Last night Abigail (ten years old) had the winning remark – “Don’t you hate it when your lunch eats you?”

I think the game came about as a result of a situation in which my two youngest children were discussing how to put wood in the wood burning stove. Elizabeth (11 at the time) was giving strict instructions to Abigail on how to load the stove.

“First, you have to tie your hair back because if you don’t tie your hair back you could burn all up.”

“Oh I hate that!” said Abigail.

“I know!” said Elizabeth.

To see their miniature conversation typed out may not seem all that entertaining, but ‘in the moment’ it was adorable and hilarious. The maturity with which they discussed the situation, combined with the intensity, was quite entertaining, and it reminded me of a show back in the 80’s – was it Saturday Night Live? I don’t recall for certain, but it had a sketch with a very similar theme. However, ours is much more soul nourishing.