I wish each and every one of you the most wonderful Thanksgiving. Many blessings to you all…
If you want to enrich your Thanksgiving dinner by adding a different kind of blessing, something a little bit out of the ordinary or usual for your family -browse through the following prayers and sayings, you might find one that will add that extra touch of beauty to your day…
There is an Estonian proverb that says…” Who does not thank for little – will not thank for much.”
And In the bible- Galatians 6:9 Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
Here is a Thanksgiving prayer by Harry Jewel
We Give Thanks –
Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.
And even those who didn’t celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving, offered prayers of thanks such as this…
Aztec Prayer
Lord most giving and resourceful,
I implore you;
make it your will
that this people enjoy
the goods and riches you naturally give,
that naturally issue from you,
that are pleasing and savory,
that delight and comfort,
though lasting but briefly,
passing away as if in a dream.
And here is an
… Iroquois Prayer
We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us. We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water. We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases. We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squash, which give us life. We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit. We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air, has banished diseases. We return thanks to the moon and the stars, which have given us their light when the sun was gone. We return thanks to our grandfather He-no, .., who has given to us his rain. We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of his children.
How about we lighten this up a bit with the following thoughts about Thanksgiving:
When turkey’s on the table laid,
And good things I may scan,
I’m thankful that I wasn’t made
A vegetarian.
That was by Edgar A. Guest
And how about this little ditty by- Irving Berlin
Got no check books, got no banks. Still I’d like to express my thanks – I got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night.
And this according to Erma Bombeck
“What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?”
Or this ritual chant:
We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Thanksgiving for the Earth’s Beauty
We give you thanks, most gracious God,
for the beauty of earth and sky and sea;
for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers;
for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers.
We praise you for these good gifts,
and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity.
Grant that we may continue to grow
in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation,
to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer/Book of Divine Worship
Now here are some real words of wisdom by Irv Kupcinet…”An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.”
Thanksgiving 8000 calorie poem
May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
and your pies take the prize,
and may your Thanksgiving dinner
stay off your thighs!
-Unknown
I have often heard this next one paraphrased – but until I was researching for this program – I never knew where this actually came from – I’m sure you will also recognize it…
“Once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes I came to the chief of Kufah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience.”
This was written by Abū-Muḥammad Muṣliḥ al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī (1184 – 1283/1291?), better known by his pen-name as Saʿdī The Gulistan a Persian Poet from the medieval period.
Now according to–WT Purkiser “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.”
And then there are these words from Basil Carpenter…”Thank God every day when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know.”
How about some more words of wisdom from our friend–Erma Bombeck
“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.”
I sure do miss her, I just loved her columns.
Or how about this quote “My mother is such a lousy cook that Thanksgiving at her house is a time of sorrow.”
That is from–Rita Rudner
Now here is a beautiful Native American Prayer…
Native American
Creator, Earth Mother,
we thank you for our lives and
this beautiful day. Thank You for the bright sun
and the rain we received last night.
Thank You for this circle of friends
and the opportunity to be together.
We want to thank You especially at this time
for the giveaway of their lives made by the
chickens, beets, carrots, grains and lettuce.
We thank them for giving of their lives
so we may continue our lives through this
great blessing. Please help us honor them
through how we live our lives.
So beautifully said by our Native American brothers and sisters who have always lived with and of the land…
Here is a lovely Buddhist prayer well actually it is more like an entire ceremony to be celebrated during a meal…
Buddhist
*
(serving the food)
In this food I see clearly
the presence of the entire universe
supporting my existence.
*
(looking at the plate of food)
All living beings are struggling
for life. May they all have enough food
to eat today.
*
(just before eating)
The plate is filled with food.
I am aware that each morsel
is the fruit
of much hard work
by those who produced it.
*
(beginning to eat)
With the first taste, I promise
to practice loving kindness.
With the second, I promise
to relieve the suffering of others.
With the third,
I promise to see others’ joy as my own.
With the fourth,
I promise to learn the way of nonattachment and equanimity.
*
(after the meal)
The plate is empty.
My hunger is satisfied.
I vow to live for the benefit
of all living beings.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to incorporate that entire prayer ceremony into your Thanksgiving meal?
Now here is a Hindu prayer titled an
Affirmation to my body…
I recognize you are the temple
in which my spirit and creative energy
dwell.
I have created you from my need
to have my spirit manifested on earth
so that I may have this time to learn
and grow.
I offer you this food so that you may continue
to sustain my creative energy, my spirit,
my soul.
I offer this food to you with love,
and a sincere desire for you to remain free
from disease and
disharmony.
I accept you as my own creation.
I need you.
I love you.
I have never thought of my body in quite that way – but it is quite lovely…
If you are looking to make your Thanksgiving Day and meal a little more special try one of these prayers…
here is an Islamic prayer…
“In the name of
the compassionate
and beneficent God”
I couldn’t find anything after that but I think you could add whatever your feelings of Thanksgiving are after that beginning.
And here is a Judaic prayer…
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our G-d,
King of the Universe,
Who creates many living
beings and the things they
need. For all that Thou hast
created to sustain
the life of every living
being, blessed be Thou,
the Life of the universe.
And here a Christian (Gaelic) Prayer – it isn’t about Thanksgiving but I think it is so beautiful that I have to include it and if you want to include this as part of your Thanksgiving all you have to do is add your own touch at the end on being thankful.
God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking,
God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping,
God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.
God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber,
God in my mine ever-lasting soul,
God in mine serenity.
And here you can add whatever it is you want to say about giving thanks with your family.
Thankful for Each Other
Dear Lord,
As we gather together around this table
laden with your plentiful gifts to us,
we thank You for always providing
what we really need
and for sometimes granting wishes
for things we don’t really need.
Today, let us be especially thankful
for each other–for family and friends
who enrich our lives in wonderful ways,
even when they present us with challenges.
Let us join together now
in peaceful, loving fellowship
to celebrate Your love for us
and our love for each other. Amen.
By Joanna Fuchs
This brings me to the conclusion of my Thanksgiving offerings.
May God bless you – each and every one…
