God Bless You!

[oliveu2cm]

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-three students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With rich maroon gowns flowing and the
traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and moms freely brushed away tears.

This class would not pray during the commencements ... not by choice but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....

....... until the final speech received a standing ovation. A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then he delivered his speech....an astounding SNEEZE!

The rest of the students rose immediately to their feet, and in unison they said ... "GOD BLESS YOU."

The audience exploded into applause. The graduating class found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future ... with or without the court's approval.

 

[daisybean]

That is a great story....where did it happen?

 

[Like O2]

By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

This was the worst call of the night, maybe the century: A man was facing death, lying on a cold, wood slab before thousands of stunned onlookers and a national television audience.

He suffered massive cardiac arrest. His face was blue, as paramedics frantically tried to regain a pulse, pumping on his chest, listening for a heartbeat, trying to deliver oxygen to his lungs.

Fans stood and stared, in complete shock, as the most sickening few minutes in Compaq Center history dragged on like hours. Quiet never sounded so sad.

Some in the crowd cried, others prayed. Players' and officials' faces grew flush and white. Referee Lisa Mattingly stood over her friend and co-worker, Bill Stokes, as trainers connected a defibrilator to Stokes' chest.

"Come on, Bill," Mattingly said as she wiped away tears. "Come on."

A stretcher arrived and Comets star Sheryl Swoopes, who was supposed to remember this day for the second Most Valuable Player award she won, looked mortified as Stokes lie motionless nearby.

But soon after Stokes was placed onto a stretcher and wheeled off the floor -- even as some in the crowd shouted, "Call the game!" -- there was WNBA commissioner Val Ackerman pronouncing, hey, let's play ball.

It wasn't just a dumb call. It was stupid.

Hopefully, Ackerman someday will realize there were far more important and distracting things here than basketball. Hopefully, she will apologize to the Comets and Starzz, and to Mattingly and fellow referee Roy Gulbeyan, who showed remarkable resilience finishing the game under the extreme duress they were under.

Hopefully, Ackerman will apologize to the Comets' fans, who provided a moving and memorable moment when shortly after Stokes was rushed out, 9,540 fans broke into an impromptu recitation of the Lord's Prayer.

 

[oliveu2cm]

That is a great story....where did it happen?

my mom actually forwarded it to me in an email, so I'm not sure.


Like O2.. wow.. stunning, chilling and sad. thanks for sharing that story.

 

[jala]

lol, sounds like something i would do on graduation. I can understand the law prohibiting it, but it is just so subtle. ppl say "god bless you" all the time. and other little things that ppl just take so offensive. I hear ppl who don't believe in god saying, "god bless you" and then they get offended for just making a good gesture to them. what do they expect? for us to start saying "go to hell" or "sneeze elsewhere!"

 

[RavenStar]

I find stuff like this funny. Dont ask why. Since I dont believe in god I dont say things like bless you when someone sneezes. I usually say something like "tissue?". People find it amusing when I say Oh my G-spot instead of oh my god. I wonder why the court ruled that. I could understand the court not wanting the students to break into a prayer seesion but not being able to say god bless you is just dumb. Whatever happened to freedom of religion. Sheesh.