If I say bless you, who am I to possess blessings to bestow?
Am I asking God to bless you? A bit presumptious!
If I shout Bless You when you sneeze, that’s knee jerky.
I know, I know I’m being difficult. But a black widow spider?
Bless his little heart? Don’t know if spiders have hearts,
or if he’s a she. Does Bless you suggest forgiveness? Even
more than that, I think. Love? Surely if I bless a tic
I’m not really loving it. Accepting it as a sibling life form,
maybe. Empathy. I can buy that, for we’re all riding
this rocky boat together.
I guess a blessing is empathy and well wishes, even for the tick, although I wear a hat to make sure they don’t get in my hair.
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I think it should be empathy. True blessings cannot be a tic though.
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What else is beyond a blessing (empathy?) Thanks for the reply.
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It’s right to question – I also wondered whether I’m qualified to bestow blessings. I blasted a spider the other night and then said sorry to it.
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Clever take on the prompt and interesting questions to ask. For me the blessing can come from anywhere or anyone or thing.
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Now that you mention it, when I’m on the receiving end, I don’t mind that much, either!
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i never gave it much thought, but to me bless you was like a way to ward off bad luck or evil spirits, but yes do I have such a right? thought provoking words.
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Well, I’m for that!
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The idea of blessing someone is pretty pagan. It’s a protection (very hypothetical) against the slings and arrows. At best some deity will divert that fireball, at the least it shows willing. I think of it as an admission that life can be full of unpleasantness, and I’m just saying I hope you escape as much of it as possible 🙂
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Well thank you so much for the attempt at protection! I need it.
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We all do 🙂
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I’ve never heard anyone bless a spider’s little heart, but then I’m from the north. My mother used to say that saying “bless you” when a person sneezed is a holdover from the time before modern medicine, when a cold or flu could be life threatening. My husband wants me to bless him at every sneeze, whereas I request he never bless me, lest he interrupt my reading. 😉
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Ha ha! Good one! Nan
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I grew up in a family that never said “bless you” at every sneeze and to me it feels more like superstition. I get where you’re coming from. I like the idea of empathy.
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Thanks for sharing that. Sometimes I can’t control my mouth, though and before I know it the superstition has escaped. I am definitey not one of those people who shout from the other end of the library, though, without even knowing who sneezed!
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Thought provoking post, Nan. If we recognize God as gracious, then we believe all good gifts come from him and we can pray good for others…not words to say flippantly!
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Thanks for responding, Lynn.
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