HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We gather as one today under the tent of our Creator.
We bow our heads in awe before the miracle of life and we give thanks for:
The bounty before us,
however modest
Those who toiled in field and kitchen to bring us this meal
Every wonder that helped this food grow:
Sun and rain,
soil and seed,
the hands of the farmer.
The company that shares our table and the loved ones missing, but still with us
All the generations who brought us to this table pray:

We can grumble if we like.
We can focus on family wars,
numb out on food and football,
get nuts over traffic.
Or we can praise our gifts:
Water at the turn of a faucet.
A roof bewtween us and the cold night.
A walk in the autumn meadow under sparkling heavens.
The healing power of an embrace.
Our elders whose heirloom is wisdom,
the children who give us a window to eternity.
Our daily bread.

We worship the futile gods of getting and spending.
We mistake amusement for joy,
complacency for peace,
cynicism for truth.
But today we are thankful for:
The cord connecting us to the needy.
The visit of conscience
allowing us to right our wrongs.
The generous souls who give to the greater good.
The whisper of peace in the world and in our own lives.
Forgiveness.

Do we live like the walking dead?
Do we forget life's possibilities, our capability for awe?
Not today.
We give thanks for:
The thunder and lightning of passion.
The private dream of words and music.
The cleansing sweep of laughter and tears.
The enduring comfort of friendship.
The unbreakable bonds of family love.

Days and years roll on,
one to another, and we wonder,
where did the time go?
But when we know our blessings, each moment is eternal.
And so we say grace for:
The four seasons teaching us to number our days.
Love that is stronger than death.
The promise of a new morning
when the lonely are embraced,
the sick healed,
the tortured set free.
The sanctuary of memory.
The breath of our Creator,
pulsing through this room and through all of us everywhere.

Savor each breath and blessing.
Our ancestors said that in the next life we will be called to account for all the good things on this earth we did not enjoy.
Remember the time you laughed so hard, jumped so high, held so tight.
Remember the hour when you watched the scarlet sky fold to night.
Remember the holy moment when you touched the tiny fingers of the miracle of birth.
And to everyone who graces this page, a happy Thanksgiving to you and to everyone you hold close to your heart.

This is a prayer that appears in the Times Herald Record written by Mike Levine. Each year I look forward to reading it and sharing this prayer at our own family Thanksgiving.