Grandma Got the Expression Wrong and We Never Forgot It
Every family has a phrase that needs absolutely no explanation inside the family and quite a lot of explanation everywhere else.
It might be a mispronounced word, a saying somebody never got quite right, or an expression that became funnier every time they used it. Eventually, correcting it would feel almost rude. It belongs to them now.
During a recent mediumship reading, I described a grandmother with a lively personality and a very definite sense of herself. As the conversation continued, I picked up something about the way she used language. It didn’t feel like swearing. It felt more like using the wrong word or getting an expression mixed up.
My client recognized what I meant. She explained that her grandmother had used an expression about falling into the arms of “Murphy.” She had actually been thinking about that particular memory.
At that point, I shared something that made the exchange even more amusing: my last name is Murphy.
It was a warm, funny moment in the reading, with this grandmother’s individuality right at the centre of it.
Those little verbal habits can hold a surprising amount of affection. You can almost hear the person’s voice when you repeat them. The emphasis they put on a word. The expression on their face. Their complete confidence that everyone else was saying it incorrectly.
Remembering someone doesn’t have to make them more polished than they were. The mixed-up sayings and slightly ridiculous habits are part of what made them themselves. Sometimes those are precisely the memories we most want to keep.
Humour also has room in a conversation about someone who has died. You can miss a person terribly and still laugh about something they said. One feeling doesn’t cancel the other. In a reading, I make room for the personality that comes through, including the funny parts.
If your family has a collection of these expressions, consider writing down a few, along with the stories behind them. Future family members may know the saying without knowing who started it. Giving it a little context keeps that person in the story.
You can learn more about my mediumship readings at spiritualmediumgiselle.com
And if your grandmother had strong opinions about how words should be pronounced, I suspect you already have a story worth telling.
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