God bless you!

Well, we really don't know where the phrase "God bless you" actually came from. I have researched an researched and there are so many various opinions about when and where it all began. All I know is that we like it and say it to friends, family and even strangers whenever we hear them sneeze.  Do you? Several years ago when the children were younger and runny noses were much more frequent over here, God gave me a grand idea. I was brainstorming what products might be next for Multiple Blessings. I produced 4 styles of GOD BLESS YOUs Tiny Tissues Packages in God's Love. They were small cases with a mirror on the upper inside and could be refilled with pocket sized tissues. Design styles were on the front of each case. I spent the money and attorney fees to have it trademarked and they sold like crazy, even though the cases were not the best quality. Gift stores carried them, wedding event planners, and even funeral home companies purchased them as thank you gifts for their clients. I am thrilled to announce that one of the wonderful companies I am designing for, loved the product idea too and has produced them. This time... better cases, better designs and better distribution! We've been working on these for almost a year now, and they will be available to be sold to stores all over the globe starting in the next few weeks. Once again, not sure exactly who will carry these, but we are hoping Family Christian stores and/or Lifeway stores as well as hundreds of gift shops all over. Will keep you posted....

Caroline Simas© all rights reserved

They loved the idea so much that they wanted to create the same thing, but for their general gift stores who do not feel they can sell the products with scripture. I came up with the name SASSY SNEEZES and so here they are for the general market. Let me know what you think  of both and if you love them, I'll carry some here in the studio if you'd like to place an order. They have a great mirror on the upper inside too and are great for your purse. They make great gifts too! 

Caroline Simas© all rights reserved

So although there's a lot of guessing out there about saying "God bless you," here's a bit of info I did like:

The custom of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague (his successor succumbed to it). Gregory (who also invented the ever-popular Gregorian chant) called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's help and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy"). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague. All that prayer apparently worked, judging by how quickly the plague of 590 AD diminished.

The connection of sneezing to the plague is not the first association of sneezing with death. According to Man, Myth, and Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown, many cultures, even some in Europe, believe that sneezing expels the soul--the "breath of life"--from the body.  That doesn't seem too far-fetched when you realize that sneezing can send tiny particles speeding out of your nose at up to 100 miles per hour!

We know today, of course, that when you sneeze, your heart doesn't stop, nor does your soul get expelled. What does get expelled are hundreds upon thousands of microscopic germs. The current advice when you sneeze is to cover your mouth with your arm rather than your hand. That way, all those germs won't be on your hands when you touch the countless things you're going to touch in the course of the day.

Caroline Simas© all rights reserved

So tell me what you think of the GOD BLESS YOUs and the SASSY SNEEZES...

and God bless you!

xoxo,

C