Bless Your Heart

“Bless your heart.” It’s a phrase from the South, old fashioned and enduring. It conveys compassion and sympathy for a person caught in a difficult situation. That person is almost always a woman. Men seldom use this phrase, but women often do, woman relating to woman. With the connotation of “bless your heart” on our minds, ten Christian sisters from the Central church loaded up two vans on Friday, April 21, 2006, and made the long drive to Long Beach, Mississippi, to bring a blessing to the hearts of women there.

Long Beach has been the destination for 80 or more members from Central during the months since Hurricane Katrina demolished much of the small town and surrounding area on the Gulf of Mexico. Many hours of hard, dirty work have been spent handing out food boxes and water bottles, blankets and hugs, and most anything else needed by people who have suffered devastating losses. This trip would be different, though. We wouldn’t be mucking houses or raking yards or tearing out moldy sheet rock. This trip was designed for women to minister to the unique needs of other women.

With little warning, Katrina swept away things cherished by feminine hearts: baby pictures, family quilts, grandmother’s Bible, the china received as brides. Those are just a few examples. When the storm was gone, there was little time for grief. Instead there was a desperate struggle to survive accompanied by the urgency to rebuild. Together with their husbands, sons, brothers and strangers, these women picked up shovels and hammers to tear out what remained of their houses. From time to time they’d find a lost treasure and rejoice, just as the woman rejoiced when the lost wedding ornament-coin was found in the parable Jesus told. Surrounded by mud and stench, they endured conditions that offend a woman’s heart: clutter, debris, destruction, and disruption of relationships.

The ladies at Central were inspired with the idea of a mini retreat. We wanted to communicate to these ladies that we sympathize with their losses. We wanted to bring them, for just a short time, something feminine and fun, pretty, and even extravagant. Our vans weren’t packed with chain saws, axes, and work gloves. No bleach, Pampers or cases of bottled water. Instead we carried bright table cloths, potted plants, foot spas, and ingredients for a “girly” salad lunch. We brought colorful gift bags with cosmetics, lovingly made custom jewelry, and special chocolates. Our speaker brought a message of assurance that God provides and heals. The women from Central prayed, sang, ate, laughed, and cried together with the women of Mississippi. (Yes, guys, those tears you fear are healing to us.) We massaged and lotioned hands and feet and painted nails in preferred colors. It was “A Day for the Ladies.”

For a few hours those who came received a respite from the difficult circumstances they continue to face. They had time out in the company of other ladies to enjoy a bit of luxury. Instead of being the care givers, they were the cared for. The sisters from Central served, ministered, and took up the towel of Jesus to wash feet. The God who provides and heals did His work. He blessed the hearts of us all.

Sharon Ditto