There's a phrase that's used in the south: "Bless Her/His Heart". It's come to be a way of making things all right after a statement is made regarding a person that might not be all that flattering, for example: "She means well... bless her heart." This might be said to cover the fact that the person being referred to did, indeed, mean well but perhaps didn't know any better. One needs to read between the lines to decipher the meaning; it's not a phrase I'm fond of at all as it sounds, albeit polite, a bit insulting. I have a friend who's had chronic heart issues; serious, life-threatening, heart issues. This year she is recuperating at her daughter's home following yet another heart scare over Thanksgiving. I didn't receive a Christmas card from her this year and I miss its presence in this basket that sits beside our kitchen table. Years ago, while visiting her home for dinner, she told me that when she and her husband packed away Christmas decorations they saved out all the cards and placed them near the Bible and daily devotional guides. Each morning after that, as they concluded devotions, they would pray for the person or family whose card was chosen, they would continue to do this all year and cycle through the stack as many times as it took to get through the year. I loved this idea then, I still love it now! And so, my cards are staying out and not being packed away or disposed in of the trash. My daughter in law suggested punching a hole in each one and loading them onto a ring to keep them in order, I will do just that. This year, though, we'll pray first for someone whose card is missing, we'll pray for the one whose idea it was to pray from the stack of Christmas greetings. We'll pray for Helen and her restoration to health... we'll honestly and sincerely ask God to bless her heart!
Life is Good!
