Bless your heart.

Tonight, I was having a phone date with my lovely.
He had dinner with his Gramma tonight, and I had told him to tell her I said hello...

He told me that he told her and when he did, she smiled and said,
"Well, bless her heart."

I then proceeded to tell him that sometimes here in the South saying 'Bless your heart' isn't the best of things to say...


When did something so sweet turn into such a negative connotation??


There's even a flippin' country song about it by Miranda Lambert called "Only Prettier":

"Well I've been saved by the grace of southern charm
I got a mouth like a sailor and yours is more like a hallmark card
If you wanna pick a fight well I'm gonna have to say good night
I don't have to be hateful, I can just say bless your heart"
(see??  derogatory!)


He says that up in Colorado saying that it... is what it is - a blessing.

So... since when did saying it in the South not mean that you were being given a blessing??

I think we need to re-examine things.
God is the one that gives us blessings,
so when blessings come out of our mouths toward others, they too should be out of love and kindness.

We sneeze, and we say "Bless you!"
                                        or
                                  "God bless you!"
We don't say that to be mean or negative.
We don't say that to poke fun at people.
We say that because when you sneeze, your heart skips a beat, and it's an old wives' tale that you say "God bless you!" to ensure that the person's heart continues on working just as properly as it was before the sneeze.

I do believe that that is more of what the phrase is for:
giving blessings of goodness to others.


Today, I received a good ol' Yankee blessing from my lovely's grandmother...
...and today, you're all receiving a good ol' Southern blessing from me:

Bless your heart.

No matter who you are.
You deserve a good life, some good blessings,
and I want to send the same blessing that I got out to you, too.

It put a smile on my face hearing it from sweet Gramma,
and I hope I just put a smile on your face, too.  :)

If not...
well...
then...
just...
bless your heart.
-wink-