Giving
Thanks
“Heavenly
Father, accept our thanks for these and all Thy many blessings.
Amen.”
Family
Table Grace
This
was the grace said at my family table when I was growing up.
Blessedly short, but covering all the bases. There are many reasons
to say grace before a meal: to slow folks down and give them a chance
to catch up with themselves; to acknowledge that we are the
recipients of a most bountiful blessing; to remember all those who
have contributed to the meal—the farmers, the animals, the pickers,
the truckers, the grocers, the cooks—people near and far. “The
sun and the rain and the apple seed!” Grace is an opportunity to
express gratitude to all of them.
Today,
as Americans are enjoying the bodacious meal we call 'Thanksgiving',
let us remember all we have to be thankful for. I watched the news
last night about the cease-fire between Israel and the
Palestinians—I'm thankful for that, and I am especially thankful that we don't
celebrate by shooting automatic weapons into the air!
I
am deeply appreciative that I live in a country that has, to a great
extent, agreed to live within the law. I'm glad we don't feel that a
semi-automatic weapon is a necessary accessory for evening wear. And
I'm thankful that Canada and Mexico are not trying to wipe us off the
map with rockets and suicide bombers. I pray for peace in those
places still caught in the grip of war—and especially for young
men, women and children in harms way.
I
am thankful that I have friends and family to love, and a safe and
comfortable place in which to live. I think of all the people in New
York and New Jersey displaced by storms and floods, and wonder where
they are celebrating Thanksgiving today. I think, too, of all the
people who are fleeing to refugee camps from Syria, Uganda, Congo and
other places where rebellions are staged, and killing is a way of
life. The world is now one village and they are our sisters and
brothers.
I
am thankful for my health and my faith, and pray for all those who
have neither. Faith is the anchor that holds me firmly in place
through the storms that life inevitably brings. It is the thread that
connects me to others—those who are known to me, and those who are
not. It connects me to you, and you to me. I wish you a happy and
prosperous and joyful Thanksgiving.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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