Giving Thanks for a Meal or a Concert!

A dish of cold melon on a hot day

 “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” — G. K. Chesterton

Saying ‘grace’ before a meal is considered to be part of the Christian tradition. In the Judaic and some other religions it may take the form of a blessing or a thanksgiving afterwards. Even if you have no specific spiritual beliefs it can be a simple way of developing a sense of appreciation in us, in our families and guests. Mealtimes can be an opportunity when we sit down and stop. It can be a time to share what has happened in the day or maybe to say what we appreciate about each other or someone else.  One short 'thank you' children can use is “Thank you for all that’s yummy and is going to fill my tummy!”

Here are two more which I quite like and are broader in scope.

For the food before us,

For the friends beside us,

For the love that surrounds us,

We are truly grateful.

and

This food is a gift from the earth, the sun, the rain, the

whole universe

It comes to us through the hard work of many people

May we live in such a way as to be worthy of it

May it give us energy to do the work of love.

As Chesterton says we can say ‘grace’, give thanks, at any time!

Today I appreciate that as I write this post each day I become more aware of all that I have in my life which is enriching and blesses me.