REJOICE AND SHOUT

Spanglish is now a hit movie. Funny. But that’s how our family has communicated for 36 years.

Haydee, from Argentina, and Jim, from Ohio, met as students in New York City. When we were married, Haydee’s father, who spoke no English, and Jim, who spoke little Spanish, devised an everevolving language of English and Spanish punctuated by smiles and hand gestures and almost always understood each other. Whether they were hanging curtains, building tables, barbecuing steaks or eating crabs, Spanglish carried the day.

How things have changed. We tried to raise our son by only speaking Spanish at home. That lasted until he went to nursery school in Vienna and was punished and placed in the corner with soap in his mouth when he didn’t respond promptly to a teacher.

Today, he greets his family in Argentina and Spain with enthusiasm and affection, and he and his new bride have dreams of visiting them. Our daughter is a family favorite, having sung in family weddings on three continents. Her master’s recital at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory featured centuries of Spanish and Argentine music, the first all-Spanish master’s recital in the school’s history. She last sung in Spain in a 13th-century church.

We are a two-language family. To say we were bilingual would suggest facility in both languages, and in Jim’s case, that’s still not quite true. But we have made major progress. Haydee’s mother at 93 has been able to visit us for the past five years, and our days and evenings are filled with rich conversation and great laughter.

Our adventure with language has taught us two lessons. First is the miracle of will. It is amazing how well you can communicate when you are determined to be understood. On our wedding night, Jim’s parents, who spoke no Spanish, were taken to their hotel by wonderful friends, who spoke no English. Together, these four people took a three-hour, very early morning tour of Buenos Aires. The two couples never understood a word the other couple said. But at the same time, they understood everything that was said. It was a wondrous night that they all talked about for as long as they lived.

The second is the discoveries of history and culture that language has led us to. We have found new relatives in Spain, discovered new literature and music and have gained a deeper appreciation of the rich art and cultural heritage and the history of a civilization that reaches back over a thousand years.

We see The Church of the Good Shepherd opening a similar door this Lenten season as we have published a Spanish-language collection of devotions for Holy Week. Who knows what adventures lie ahead, except that we will be richer for the experience?

It is Palm Sunday, a day for parades and rejoicing as we relive the hosannas raised at the gates of Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago. In hundreds of churches throughout our Northern Virginia community, Jesus’ followers in the 21st century raise their voices in more than 100 languages and dialects. How glorious is our ragtag army of followers of Jesus and how rich the chorus raised in the litany of languages we “rejoice greatly,” “shout aloud.” And sing.

— Haydee and Jim Toedtman

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist