Bless your hearts.
If you are from the South, you likely just read that title in a southern accent, and then you probably smiled. If you’re not from the South, then I almost feel badly that you probably don’t receive these blessings nearly enough. This is Southern Speak. It’s just who many of us are. “She got so drunk she lost her shoe, bless her heart.” I’m not sure any of us really put great thought into what the word bless means. We’re just southerners. We bless people. Around here, black people always tell me to “Have a blessed day.” I love that! I love being blessed. I love feeling the positive energy from a fellow person spilling over into my own personal energy field and offering a soothing vibration.
Here in Louisiana, we even have a special blessing-type slogan regarding our football team, the Saints. It’s “Bless You Boys!” That’s right. We bless the heck outta those boys. That’s why they kick your asses regularly. Umm hmm. Dat’s right.
Lately I'm more aware that the invention of Facebook has caused the neat and tidy little bubble that I was raised in to burst. I’m not sorry about it. It’s good to know stuff. Good to expand your world. I’ve realized that some people don’t appreciate ‘blessings.’
In fact, they are downright offended by ‘blessings.’
This photo appeared on my feed yesterday. It was posted by a friend.
It’s a traffic sign on the Causeway over Lake Pontchartrain. The first comment about the photo was from an agnostic person, who posted to say that he was OFFENDED by this sign. He cited the separation of Church and State provision. He asked what about the people who don’t use blessings. Of course I responded by saying something that I LOVE TO SAY…”It’s called freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.”
I couldn’t help but wonder why this person was so bothered that some highway workers wanted to offer blessings and good tidings to the people of Boston. People are DEAD. An 8 year old child is DEAD. That hurts my heart in a special, stabby kind of way. It causes me to get that familiar hurt-y lump in my throat, and then I breathe fast and wonder if I shouldn’t take my kids to the Jazz Fest or any large sporting events. I am immediately reminded of the trauma we all lived through here in this house. I'm acutely aware that these families will be facing similar trauma. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that the blessings and good tidings and well wishes and positive vibrations from others are indeed what carried us through a period where we could not have been left alone. We would have certainly survived without those blessings. But don’t we want more than to merely exist?
I’m here to tell you all that I’m offended that you’re offended!
That’s right. Ya hurd me? I’m OFFENDED that you are OFFENDED.
Here’s the thing. A blessing is really the same thing as saying “Good tidings”. No one is asking you to kneel down and pray, heathens. We are simply spreading good will.
I’ve heard many agnostic people stating that they are ‘not bad people’. They are not harboring evil. They just don’t believe in what others believe in, and they don’t want to pray or be around people who pray. And to that, I say, “OK.” Sounds fine with me. I will refrain from kidnapping you and tying you up with jump ropes and driving you to my Catholic Church and asking you to kneel down and pray. Yeah, I’m gonna stop doing that to people, okay? Because to each his own, right?
But I am not going to stop blessing people. I’m going to keep saying GOD BLESS YOU when you sneeze and expel that demon and I’m going to keep saying BLESS HIS HEART, HE’S SUCH A PRICK, and I’m going to keep bursting with happy when black ladies tell me to HAVE A BLESSED DAY. Sometimes, I even pretend I’m black, because I almost am, and I say HAVE A BLESSED DAY too.
Why be so offended by those who wish to release good vibrations into the universe? Are we brave enough to ask people to stop spreading joy? After all, our prayers and blessings are joyful. After yesterday, are we brave enough? After Connecticut, are we brave enough? After all the BAD that is in this WORLD, would you really dare to say no, we do not need these good tidings at all. In fact, let’s try to live with less positive energy in the universe. Less blessings and prayers.
Some agnostics will no doubt say, “The prayers aren’t working!” They will say that Boston and Newtown are proof. And to you I say, how do you know? Might it actually be worse if all these lunaticsweren’t praying and blessing us all up and down and side to side? Have you thought about that? My prayers are not hurting you.
I’m getting pretty damn tired of being asked not to pray. In fact, just to piss you off, I’m praying FOR YOU. That’s right! How ya like me nah?
I’m blessing you. I’m blessing everyone. And I’ma keep doing it. You can’t stop me.
So, GOD BLESS YOU. BLESS YOUR HEART, YOU POOR SOUL WITH ONLY A HORIZONTAL VIEW OF THIS UNIVERSE. HAVE A BLESSED DAY.
