by Donald Hancock

Created on: August 11, 2008

BLESS YOU

I was in a home improvement store last night, ordering a new kitchen counter top. While the salesman was writing up the order I sneezed. The salesman immediately said, "bless you". I thanked him and truly appreciated the gesture. I always do. I had the impression that, if I sneezed again he would have repeated the blessing. I did not "grow up" with that as a family custom, and I sometimes wonder what the motivation might be.

Originally, I understand, it was a superstition that, during a sneeze, the soul is very close to leaving the body for good. The "bless you" was an attempt to keep that from happening. In modern times I suspect that it is sometimes a force of habit and perhaps even an act of respect for the mother or father who taught the person to do that. But I think that it is often a gesture of genuine good will toward the person.

Perhaps it would be a really good habit to get into. No, not the repeating of a phrase like, "Bless you", necessarily, but a genuine directing of our total personality in some form of good will gesture toward others on occasions of meeting or at times when we have reason to believe that the person needs extra help, a "Bless You"in, perhaps, some other form.

Some oriental countries show respect , upon meeting someone, with a slight bowing of the head - the greater the respect, the lower the head. I wish that we had such a gesture as that in America. The nearest that most of us come to that is a smile and a hello.

There has been an attempt lately to establish a gesture especially for the purpose of thanking our military troops. It is a placing of the right hand on the heart and then bringing it out in a sweeping motion toward the soldier. I hope it catches on. A "Bless You".

A little more to what I really have in mind is not so much an outward gesture but an attitude of the heart. For years I have practiced a silent activity whenever I hear a siren of any type. Whether it is fire, police, or ambulance I voice a quick but silent prayer, something like this, "Dear God, someone is in trouble. Please be with them and help them in whatever way that is best for them". It just takes a moment and nobody knows about it but God and me. A "Bless You".

But maybe not. I read a story of a lady who saw a bad wreck and prayed a prayer similar to what I just described. She later heard that it was someone that she did not know but was a relative of a friend of hers. She went to see this lady when she was able to have visitors. She introduced

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