...bless you!

I was in dialysis today and a technician walked by and sneezed. It brought up one of my "reflections" let's say, about a common response heard when a person sneezes..... "..bless you!". Or as some may be brave enough to say "God bless you". For some reason this has stuck in my craw through the years because it takes a lot for granted.

Some stories say that it came from the belief that when a person sneezes their heart stops for a second. A better explanation is the use of the term "Gezundheit" - read an interesting story about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesundheit.

but let's get back to ...."bless you". The thing that bothers me, is that even though it may have been at one time a means to wish a person better health, think about what it is saying. A person sneezes and you hear a chorus of "bless you!" , or "Oh, my, bless you". I didn't realize we were so powerful! A person sneezes and by our very words we command God to bless that person! We don't ask God to bless them, we tell Him. And just to show how powerful we are and God isn't, often we don't even use His name. We just give out our OWN blessings to person by saying "bless you". When a Christian says that to a non-Christian what do they think about what we really believe about God? That a mere Christian can command God to bless a person they choose?

Now, I know most don't think about that when they utter those automatic phrases, just like we don't think about it when we ask a person "how are you doing today". It has just become an automatic phrase whose meaning or desire for a real answer has been lost a long time ago.

So, now that you've thought about this, the next time you're in the office and a person sneezes and you DON'T say "bless you", watch what happens. It becomes very quiet.

Now, I've tried to think of something more appropriate, but really haven't come up with anything good. "Whew, sounds like you're getting a cold" really doesn't do it. "bless you" is so much easier to say and get it over in a second without making an issue.

Any suggestions?

no words necessary

who invented crayons?

This is for my grand kids....

Crayola brand crayons were the first kids crayons ever made, invented by cousins, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. The brand's first box of eight Crayola crayons made its debut in 1903. The crayons were sold for a nickel and the colors were black, brown, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, and green.

The word Crayola was created by Alice Stead Binney (wife of Edwin Binney) who took the French words for chalk (craie) and oily (oleaginous) and combined them.
Today, there over one hundred different types of crayons being made by Crayola including crayons that: sparkle with glitter, glow in the dark, smell like flowers, change colors, and wash off walls and other surfaces and materials.

Where did the @ symbol in email come from?

The @ Symbol Ray Tomlinson chose the @ symbol to tell which user was "at" what computer. The @ goes inbetween the user's login name and the name of his/her host computer.

Ray Tomlinson is quoted as saying he invented email,"Mostly because it seemed like a neat idea." No one was asking for email.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

...even when you're not.

I can't believe that in a few minutes it will have been 7 years since Dolly went home to be with the Lord.

Tomorrow I plan on stopping by the cemetary, and then coming home and going through our albums.

I always hesitated to do anything special on this day - April Fool's - because I didn't want to be morbid and I know it was difficult for the kids. But one day as I was at a restaurant eating breakfast, I asked one of the grandchildren about Dolly and they didn't remember her! It struck me that most if not all of my 17 grandchildren had no memory of her. And that was a shame. You see, I kind of planned that the kids would tell their kids about their grand mother. And you know, maybe they have. I certainly hope so. Dolly was a great blessing to me and was a Godly woman. My kids had many remembrances of her being up early praying and reading the Bible. She was a practical woman who put feet onto her talk in her actions.

It seems like forever ago that she was here with us. How privileged we were to know her. And yes, I can see some of her in all my children and I'm thankful for that. So tomorrow (today) I'm going to reminisce and thank God for letting me know her.

We really enjoyed each others' company and had many long talks together about each other, about life, church, and raising our children. Dolly was a stabilizing part of our life and her presence is sorely missed. I've talked to others about their losses of a loved one and they all seem to agree... you go on, but you never forget. How can you? A person that was so close and dear. It's like part of your body is missing.

And you know they say a married couple complements each other. That is so true. I just have not been able to fill in the gaps she left in the family and although I love them all dearly, just haven't been able to take care of them like Dolly would have.

A woman like Dolly, I believe, only comes along once in a lifetime. For those few of you who are reading this, don't ever take your loved one for granted. Every minute is precious and once that time is gone, it's gone. We are all held accountable for the time we have here. Today at church I look forward to talking to some new people and seeing how God is working in their lives.

There's a lot of things I don't understand about life, but one thing I do know without a doubt is that God is working today in our midst and He has a plan for us, and a purpose for us. The stories in the Bible aren't just a bunch of tales about Jesus Christ. They are there because God wanted them to be there to show us how He loved us and cared /cares for us.

In my lifetime I have been blessed to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior, and to be blessed with a wonderful wife and children and grand children. Thank you Lord.

Well, this time 7 years ago I was in the living room and it was quiet like right now. Dolly's troubled breathing was interrupted at 2:15 by the sound of silence as she had just drawn her last breath. And just like she suddenly came into my life 37 years go, she was gone.

Dear friend, hug your child or spouse and thank God for them and the joy God has allowed you to have through them.