When the Roll is Called a Pyonder

As a child, I would sing those words in church and imagine the great heavenly banquet where baskets of freshly baked rolls were being passed around. “Why on earth are we gonna call them pyonders when we get to heaven?” I would wonder. I’m not sure when it was exactly that I was enlightened to the true lyrics of this great hymn, but I was reminded of how easy it is for children to misconstrue words to songs as Eliana and I were singing Amazing Grace a few weeks ago. When we got to the line, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares,” she wanted to know what a snare was. I did my best to explain that it was like a trap or something that you could get caught in. Her next question: “What’s a toilet snare?” A few more of my favorite recent “Eliana-isms”: While eating peas one day at lunch, she squished one between her fingers and said, “Look, it’s not a P anymore, it’s a G.” Holding a tape measure up to Seth’s head: “Seven o’clock!” One day while trying to explain to her what saline solution is made of, we had the following conversation: Eliana: Who made salt? Me: God did Eliana: No, God didn’t make salt. Jesus did. Me: Yes, God and Jesus made salt because God and Jesus are one. Eliana: No, God and Jesus are not one. Seth is one.