“These graces enable us to practice gratitude and to ponder our deep connections with the Earth and those around the table.” -Spirituality & Practice

When I was a child, my father always offered a prayer at holiday meals. Saying grace wasn’t a day-to-day practice in our house as it was for a few of my friends. During our special occasions or while dining as a guest where the tradition was honored daily,  I always enjoyed the connection of holding hands around the table with those who had gathered.

During the past year, I had been pondering the idea of instituting a moment of thanks each day at our dinner table. We are adamant about eating with our two young girls without the distraction of phones and other electronics. We discuss our day and connect with each other while we eat. Though it can sometimes be chaotic as we repeatedly remind the little ones of their manners and clean up accidental spills, dinner time is one of my favorite hours of the day.

In the busy world we live in, it feels almost impossible to pause. My plans for adding grace to our meal routine was partly to give thanks and partly to practice slowing down, taking a deep breath and reengaging in the present moment.

Adrian Butash’s book is a lovely collection of mealtime blessings from a variety of cultures and traditions. Major religions are represented as our poets, thinkers and activists – including Shakespeare, Milton, Gandhi and Mother Theresa. There are even a few prayers in American Sign Language. Though my motivation is to slow down, I can’t help but find excitement in the idea of multi-tasking by teaching my kids to give thanks while ALSO introducing them to a variety of religions and cultures!

About a week ago, we explained to our 5 and 2 1/2 year old that we wanted to take a moment before our meal to give thanks. They have jumped on the band wagon and requested repeatedly throughout the meal to hold hands again as one of them yelled out, “I HAVE ANOTHER PRAYER!” We were thrilled to hear our oldest repeatedly give thanks for loving her new school. The little one eagerly followed suit and though her prayers didn’t make much sense, she squeezed her eyes shut as she spoke and yelled “Amen!” at the end with gusto.

Even if you don’t use this book at the dinner table, you might enjoy flipping through as a daily meditation  taking a moment to enjoy the wise and gracious texts in Bless This Food.

If you would like to win a copy, leave a comment on this post by Thursday at noon. I always love to hear your thoughts on things if you care to share your history or habits around saying grace at the table.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

Congratulations to the winner, Maria

 

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16 Responses

  1. Stolk

    This looks like a beautiful book, and I’m happy it came into your hands, Care! Here’s our current blessing, which you may recall.
    For trees so tall
    For skies so blue
    For friends and food, we thank you.

    Then we all go around and say something we’re thankful for. My kids have said things like, “I’m thankful for polar bears,” or “I’m thankful for the pigs who gave us potatoes.” Super sweet.

  2. Stephanie

    Oh, this looks lovely. I would love a more structured way to give thanks around the table.

  3. Jessica H

    My family doesn’t say grace at the table, but as an avid cook, I find myself saying my own sort of thanks while preparing food.

  4. Kath

    Dinner was always a special family time for us as well. I insisted that the TV be off so we could talk with each other. (At that time there were no cell phones or internet connections with which to deal.) You won’t regret dedicating this time to family and to saying a blessing. Ours came from Ralph Waldo Emerson: For health, for food, for love, for friends. For everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven we thank thee. Amen. This seemed to cover it all.

  6. Sean

    I think this would be a fantastic addition to our books about food. It will definitely teach my children about giving thanks in a variety of manners seeing that it includes different cultures. Great stuff!

  7. Alina

    I think it would push me to take a moment out of the day and just give thanks for my health and the meal we are going to devour ;-)

  9. Laura

    I love the idea of giving thanks or a saying at mealtime. Even though I am single I say a thank you when I cook or sit down to eat. This book sounds lovely and hopefully will be inspiration.

  10. jacquie

    while we said grace while growing up it is not a practice i continue. however, i have been wanting to start doing more daily mediation and i think this book would be wonderful in that regard.

  11. Jennifer Thorson (@breadwinesalt)

    My grandfather always said the same grace at big family meals. I learned later that it was adapted from a prayer in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. I use it now, when ever I am called on to say grace. It reminds me of him, and I think it sums up the simple, quiet love he offered to everyone.

    “Lord, bless this food to our use and ourselves to thy service. Bless those who are absent from us, and help us be ever mindful of the needs of others.”

  12. maria

    grace is something I too-often skip when eating alone, and delight in sharing when eating together. a beautiful post and a beautiful book, thanks!

  13. Dave

    This is a generous offer. Our nightly grace is often the same so
    I’m interested in new ideas

  14. Erin Y.

    I grew up saying a blessing over each meal, but as I got older and moved out of my parents house, I lost that practice. And now that I have my own family, I sometimes wish we said thanks over food. This book looks pretty interesting and I’d love to how other cultures start their meals, non-religious ones, in particular. Or any of them, really.

  15. Brenda

    Expressing gratitude is such a wonderful habit to cultivate — thanks for the opportunity to explore how others bless their food!

  16. Millie

    I grew up saying grace at family dinners every night. I am expecting my first child and hope to have dinners that include grace with my newly growing family. I would love a book that represents other religions and cultures.

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