Have you ever had a conversation with somebody and you wondered if you two were speaking another language?
It was December 1982. I was so excited since it was my and Tim’s first Christmas together as a couple. When he picked me up one evening, his friend Steve was with him. Tim had to stop at a store. Running in, he left Steve and myself in the car.
Trying to start a conversation, I said, “Mom and I are going shopping for a tree stand tomorrow.”
“You are?” I heard the surprise in his voice. “Who’s it for?”
I thought that was an odd response. “For us. Our old one broke yesterday when mom tried to sit it up.”
“Your mom uses the tree stand too?” He still had the same tone.
“What else do you expect us to use?” Why was he so surprised that we have a tree stand? Did he expect us not to put up a Christmas tree?
“Okay. So where are you sitting it up?”
“In the usual place; the living room.” At this point, I felt as though I was having the strangest conversation of my life.
“In the living room?” He sounded as confused as I felt.
“Where do you sit your tree stand up?” I asked.
“Where it belongs,” Steve answered, “up in a tree.”
An image of a Christmas tree sitting high up in a tree crossed my mind. “Why in the world would you put a Christmas tree high up in a tree?”
“Christmas tree? Who said anything about a Christmas tree?” He asked.
“What else do you so with a tree stand?” I asked.
“Hunt.” Steve answered.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” James 1:19 (KJV)
Obviously, Steve and I had a major miscommunication. You see, we weren’t listening to each other enough to realize what the other person meant by the term, “tree stand.” In fact, listening is so important that The Lord commands us to really listen to others. Also, we shouldn’t say anything without thinking about it first. Nor should we let our anger over take us.
Steve and I had a big laugh about our misunderstanding. He explained to me what a tree stand was and how it was used in hunting. To this day, when Tim or Steve talk about setting up a tree stand, I envision a Christmas tree sitting on a high branch. You know, I’d like to see Santa place presents under that thing.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.