"Grace"
24 x 20 mixed media on canvas
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I wanted to do the last of my Angel painting "giveaways". This one is titled "Grace". So, I would love for you to post how you say Grace! What is your family tradition of saying Grace at Thanksgiving? The contest will end Thanksgiving day and I'm going to let my entire family help me choose the winner. That would be oh, about 36 that I have for Thanksgiving dinner every year! Remember to post here on my blog not on my website, but would LOVE for you to visit my website as well!
Happy writing everyone!
Kendall
Saying Grace At Thanksgiving is Simple and Easy at My House. It started when I was a little kid...and my dad loved it!
ReplyDelete"Dear Lord, Thank you for this food and help it to Nourish our bodies. -Amen" Dad is always really hungry!
Since we have a strong multicultural presence at my house we say grace differently from the normal "Thank you for this food we eat." My grandfather stands at the head of the table and in spanish,speaks to everyone, he thanks them for all theyve done for the family, whether it was the smallest or largest thing. After he has spoken, we all go around the table and say our "thank you"s to family, friends, and god for blessing us for another year. I'm Puerto Rican and African American, so my father (African American side) also stands up and blesses the food, and us for everything we've done. Once everyone has said all they have had to say, we chow down! My grandfather makes the first cut into the turkey, Mama's home made stuffing, My grandmother's homemade pasteles, mmm mmm mm. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but I thought I would share. I have the word Grace tattooed on my forearm, so that I never forget why I am here. It also allows me to share, when asked why I have it, the significance of God's grace.
ReplyDeleteEvery evening, my parents made sure that we'd have a family dinner. Sometimes it would just be three of us, other times it would be all six of us plus a friend or two. No matter what, we'd always begin with a standard "Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts..." and one at a time each one of us would say something that happened that day that we are grateful for. One exception: every day of the week, a different family member would go last and have some need that they would pray for. It was a good reminder that we still need God's help, but he's done so much MORE to be thankful for!
ReplyDeleteDaily we rotate who says the blessing, and each prayer is heartfelt and unique.
ReplyDeleteAt Thanksgiving dinner we go around the table and ask each person what they're thankful for, then someone blesses the food. Each year I write down what each person says and it gets added to that years scrapbook. Some things my kids have mentioned in the past:
"Life" (my 15 yr old who survived a suicide attempt)
"Gravy and mashed potatoes" (That same child at age 14...)
"Being able to go to school. Even though I hate it"
"Washing machines"
"Neighbors who pick up the their dog's poop"
"My family... even Jon when he's mean"
"Second chances"
"Homeless people, so we can help somebody and not be snobby."
First I start off with the Lord's prayer. Then I say what's up to our universes' most holy Presence, pray for those important to and around me, ask for help working as best, improving as much and accomplishing the most as I can in all my relationships I have with the people around me.
ReplyDeleteEvery year it is something different, because every year we have something new and amazing to be thankful for. THe things that we are always mindful of are the freedoms that we are afforded living where we do, the amazing family we have, and the fact that we are all blessed to be able to get together even though we are all over. We are thankful for our safe travels and thankful that we share such love that we want to be together and enjoy one another. Then it seems that every year we are given a new reason to be thankful, be it a marriage or a new baby giving us yet another facet to our family. Thanksgiving has always been the one time of year we can all get together and we cherish every moment. As for the eveyday meal it is always changing too, but the blessing that I love from my childhood is: "For health and strencth and for this food we give Thee thanks Oh Lord. Amen" I can hear it in my head coming out of my family members mouths.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would like to start by saying you do very nice paintings. I linked in from facebook, I am happy I went there today.
ReplyDeleteMy family has always been family oriented and many times we fight a lot due to our closeness. We always sit down at the table to eat as a family and our gatherings always involve family and the friends who we invite who are alone and have no other family to share the holidays with. We usually bless the food and depending on the circumstances, sometimes we ask for blessings on others in need. At Thanksgiving we normally have a very LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGGGG prayer that is said by my father...one year my sister asked if he could please say a short prayer because she was VERY hungry. So he prayed, "Bless the Grub, Amen" and he usually follows it with, "Let's Eat". During dinner we go around the table saying what we are thankful for.
This year is very hard on our family especially for my brother-in-law and my nieces and nephew. All the family functions we have had since April of this year have not been the same. You see, by the Grace of God my sister was taken from us abruptly. She no longer suffers, but the hole left behind is still very great. This painting reminds me of Natalie Grant's Song Held. It also made me think of my sister, Talana JoAnn McGarry.
I don't limit myself to saying Grace only at mealtime. I ask for Grace several times in a day.
I hang my head and bow for prayer
The Grace of God his angel's there
Blessings bestowed on you and I
For our life, Christ did die.
His Angels guarding over me
One Angel, Two, No there's Three,
more angels than you or I can see.
Nothing less than his Grace.
God wiped the tears from my face.
He sent his angels to guide me here
For what purpose? It's still not clear.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share. I have deadlines I ignored to post here, and I normally wouldn't do this. I hope this post is a blessing and touches someones life.
I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving.
And Kendall, thank you....You touched my life today.
Kristin
This is the grace my family has said for four generations.
ReplyDelete"Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest
And let thy gifts to us be blessed."
It is amazing to hear all of us saying it together, from my 5 year old daughter to my 85 year old grandmother.
My children learned a song in nursery school that they sang at snack time. They are now 6 and 8 and they still sing this song for Grace before dinner. Of course, sometimes they say "Grace" being funny, as kids do:
ReplyDelete"Oh, the Lord is good to me, And so I thank the Lord..for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed...the Lord is good to me....
We take turns saying Grace in our family as well. I've always thought of this time of the day as part of the foundation of our family, a turning point, a healing moment, a time to come together. Whether it is for the 4 seconds that someone says "Rub-a-dub-dub, Thanks for the grub!" or even time for The Lord's Prayer, this is a time to build our family's strength, heal our family's wounds, a time to laugh and maybe even cry, and when better than at the table with OUR daily bread!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, beautiful paintings! I would be honored to hang one of yours on my wall!
Amazing Grace _Say God, and your saying Grace Its God that has the Mercy on us souls down here, that We should all give a sincere Grace for that alone. For we aren't promised even tomorrow, let alone an upcoming holiday. God's Grace sustains us, and keeps us.
ReplyDeleteMy family, the traditions hasn't been in a very long time. They let Grace go, forgot the Grace, it shows,not only in my people, but many. Let alone another holiday feast, how about grace for another day?
I paint and this isn't about winning with me,but just to say amazing Grace is to the one whom sustains us, through it all. Alot forgot Grace,but surely, not the most humble.
How we say Grace on Thanksgiving is this...It's kind of a process, just like our faith. My grandfatherr started this tradition of "walking" grace when his children were young. The farm he grew up on was near the reservation his parents came from in Delaware. We say Grace this way every year, rain or shine...snow or sleet.
ReplyDeleteWe live in "farm" country in rural Southern NJ... we invite all those who do not have a "place to go" for Thanksgiving (usually we have about 20-30 at table), owing to seek Jesus in all souls. Also, because those who first celebrated Thanksgiving with the Native Americans were without a country, without a home. After the food has been prepared and placed on the table, we walk across the clover fields to the apple and peach orchards near our home. We all hold hands, walking through the field, and thank God for the harvest as we walk along. As we turn toward the corn fields, dry and crackling in the autumn wind, we thank God for the fields of gold that provide, even as they wither. We follow the path and usually start to sing either Give Thanks to the Lord, or There's a Stirring, still hand in hand and give thanks for each person among us who has travelled near or far to share God's bounty. We stand in a cirle on the front acreage of our property and thank God for the land and the home beyond our sight. As we all continue to walk, hand in hand, we stand upon the front porch and thank God for His love and the blessing of our home, that we may open it to all who need warmth and comfort. We form a circle on our porch and everyone takes a turn saying WHO they are thankful for and then one THING they are thankful for in this life. We conclude by walking in the front door and gathering around the table. We hold hands once again and ask all of the children present to give thanks for the blessings provided on the table and sit down to eat. The words are never the same, and, it is our prayer that those who attend our table will be changed as well. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
I have found jesus Christ in the past year so this year grace will be different...i have had alot of terrible things happen in my life in the past eight years and i now know that im not dead becasue of jesus, my purpose in life is so much bigger then i can see and i thank him every single day for that...ya no i really do love your painting, but im going to humble myself and just say "well whoever gets it is so blessed"....my prayer of thanks giving is long i hope you dont mind...this is going to be the prayer verbatium...." Abba father, i come to you acknowleging your prescence in my life, and i just want to thank you for that, father god i love you so much, you saved me from the depths of the hell i was living in and took me into your arms and now work in me everyday, i am so blessed that you love me, who am i father that you love me i dont know but thank you, father god i want to thank you for every thing you created, from the smallest bug to all the galxaxies of the universe you are an infinite god father and i am in awe becasue of your splendor, father i would like to pray for all the people of the world that your spirit may fall like rain upon them to open there hearts and eyes to see that the kingdom of god is present, father i want to thank you for keeping my family safe throughout the past year, we all have hardships father but you are with us no matter what, i ask you to bless this food which we are about to eat, i offer the food to you and ask you to nourish it father so that it can nourish us, father i ask you to provide for the world and the memebers of your family throughout the year, abba father you are so great and thank you for being in my life to guide me everyday, i love you and praise and glorify your name, in your sons precious and beautiful name AMEN....im sorry if it was long and i pray that you and your family have a truly blessed thanks giving, the lord has blessed you with the ability to paint and make people smile, and i thank you for that also...may god be with you always and everywhere, may he be infront of you to guide you, in back of you to catch you if you fall, beside you to befreind you, over you to look after you, and inside of you to give you peace and joy.....thank you so much for everything
ReplyDeleteI am a new Christian so this will be the fo=irst Thanksgiving where GOD is the focal point and I hope that the grace my children hear me saying over the meal will be something like,Heavenly Father we thank you for your loving mercy and the blood of your son JESUS CHRIST soi that we may live forever with you in heaven.We ask that you bless the food that you have so graciously provided. Please keep our spirits fed as well as our bodies and allow us to be a light full of mercy and grace to a lost and dying world. Thank you for your loving kindness in JESUS mighty name I pray.
ReplyDeleteWe go around the table and everyone tells of one thing they are thankful for - even the very little ones - it's cute to see a one year old say "dada"!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have to talk about my husbands family. Everyone (and I mean everyone of about 20 or so!) holds hands in a big circle- kids, adults all..and his grandfather says grace. This year will be bittersweet, as I am afraid this may be the last year that he is able to say the prayer- he has alzehimers and is slipping away..So grace will be even more special this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting question.. How does one say grace with their family... My family gathers, hands intertwine and my grandmother says a prayer from her heart. At the end of her prayer we all say the lord's prayer in unison. It's what we do... and I wouldn't change it for the world. It means something for an entire family to share time in prayer... together.
ReplyDeleteI love your art work... Darby's blog lead me here.
darby's blog lead me here ... that painting touched me for many reasons. i just love it. we say a traditional catholic blessing before dinner: bless us oh lord for these thy gifts we are about to receive through they bounty of christ oh lord amen. this is really the only prayer that is "scripted" and i love that ... i talk to god and pray to him like he's sitting next to me.
ReplyDeleteGrace is one of my favorite traditions at Thanksgiving, which happens to be my favorite holiday! I whole-heartedly adore my blessing of a family. When we all get together for Thanksgiving there are around 55 of us! And it keeps growing as cousins get married and bring joyful new babies into this beautiful world. I'm amazed each year at how thankful I am at Thanksgiving for my incredible family. Each year, before we can fix plates and enjoy the spread, we all join hands (usually between 2 or 3 rooms) and someone says grace. Before we get serious, people will call out names: "Craig, you say it!" Usually one of my uncles steps up and says a blessing while we all weep with joy and thanksgiving. It is truly one of the most special times.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE YOUR PAINTINGS!! I have never seen such great work. My family Thanksgiving is for sure a tradition! We all get together for lunch. We have always gathered at my grandmothers. My grandmother passed away in September so this year will be very different without her. It has always been a tradition that all the children say the blessing before lunch. Altough I am 30 years old now I am still considered a child and continue to say the blessing with the young ones too. A very well known blessing...."God is great, God is good let us thank him for our food. Bow our heads we are all fed give us the day our daily bread. AMEN!"
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful Painting. What a wonderful gift god has given you to have that talent.
ReplyDeleteMy children are all grown now with families of there own. But when ever we can get to gather we let my grand childern say grace for us by taking turns telling God the things that they are thankful for. As you can amagine with 11, exspecting my 12th grand babies it can get pretty funny. I should really have a recorder with me. ( Lady Coyote) www.TheLostCoyoteMine.Com
a few years ago we all got together to decorate our thanksgiving boxes. Throughout the year when things happen that we are thankful for we put something into the box to remind us to share it with the family on Thanksgiving. Just before dinner we all sit in the living room together and we read the Bible passage about the 10 lepers that were healed but only one of them saw fit to give thanks. We make a conscious decision to be the one leper who gives thanks. Then we share the contents of our boxes. When we have finished we say Grace, giving thanks for everything we have just shared. Then we eat until we nearly explode... Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeletekrawleigh307@yahoo.com
It's my maiden name! We let the little ones recite "God is Great...God is Good..." So cute!
ReplyDeleteWhen I married my husband, one of the biggest adjustments was not being able to spend the holidays with my immediate family because of distance and work schedules, etc.....but, isn't that an issue with everyone? Anyway, I don't come from a large family and my grandparents died when I was very young, so, I grew up eating Thanksgiving with just my parents and siblings. My husbands family on the other hand....he is 37 years old and still has 3 of 4 grandparents....they are all in their 90's, still driving, playing golf, volunteering at hospitals, music guilds, etc. Very healthy, energetic people. So, everyone gathers, My husbands grandfather and our childs namesake, begins with a personal prayer that includes all of the momentus things that have happened in the past year and praises the Lord and thanks the Lord for allowing him to live until his 92nd year to see all that he has seen in his lifetime. That he has seen his children grow up, his grandchildren grow into adulthood, and the first round of great-grandchildren be born. It is the most precious moment of the year. Immediately following, the entire family breaks into a round of Johnny Appleseed: Oh, the Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord
ReplyDeletefor giving me the things I need
the sun and the rain and the appleseed the Lord is good to me! Amen!
Johnny Appleseed is a special prayer for my husband and myself because when we found out we were pregnant with our baby it was at the end of the summer of 2007. There were like 3 family events in a row. We wanted to wait until we had an ultrasound before we broke our news, so, we had a major secret. So, at each family event, my husband would jumpstart the prayer with a rousing rendition of Johnny Appleseed. We would lock hands, look each other in the eye and pray for our little seed. We now sing Johnny Appleseed with our 19 month old baby boy before every meal. Family, Memories and Traditions are the most important things in life! They bring grace to our lives. Thank you for allowing people to share their Families, Memories and Traditions. You have brought a moment of clarity and grace to my life today.
Thanksgiving is a funny time for us because my family is so quirky. Specifically, my conservative, uptight grandmother thinks us young folks are crazy for going to a non-denominational, contemporary church where we "wave our hands and sing so loud!"... so when we get together, it's interesting & funny things happen for sure.
ReplyDeleteSo, we start off with my grandfather, who has a deep, slow, Southern drawl as he prays something that usually goes like this- "Dear heavenly Father, we thank you, Oh Father, we thank you, we can't even begin to THANK YOU!" with my sweet Nana interrupting him and saying under her breath, getting louder "Amen, amen, amen, AMEN!!!".. so then my grandfather will say "Virginia. We. are. praying. Please. stop. talking." (imagine slow, drawn out, and very, very deep) and my Nana is saying " I just wanted to say thank you Father, thank you, oh thank you! " ...and by this point my sister is kicking me under the table to try & get herself to stop giggling...
After they are done with the main prayer, we go around the table and say something we are specifically thankful for- no health, family, friends, typical answers allowed. Of course, we are so incredibly blessed- (blessings abound!) but there have been some funny highlights over the years- makeup, electricity, TV, knock-knock jokes....you never know what you're going to get with this family!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Everyday, all day, in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this painting. I say grace as often as I remember to and wherever I may be. I am honored by the gift of grace we have been blessed with, and I would be quite honored to receive your beautiful piece as a gift.
ReplyDeleteI was raised by a single father and grew up in a home that was not exactly Christ centered... so giving thanks was not really a skill that I was taught, but I have my own family now, and this is something I think about often...teaching my son to thank God for his grace. I think our Thanksgiving tradition will be to have everyone write down in a journal (specifically for this purpose)what they are thankful to God for... this way every year, we will be able to look back on the previous Thanksgivings and see how God has worked in our lives and how his grace and love are truly neverending.
ReplyDeletemy son Nick who is now 15 has a mental handicap weve been saying grace ever since he was 4 he went to a special school where he learned 'God bless all those that i love, God bless all those that love me, God bless all those that love those that i love, and all those that love those that love me,God is gr8 God is good let us thank him 4 our food in Jesus name we prayer, AMEN'when you really read this prayer and pay attention you realise it doenst leave anyone out.
ReplyDeleteI've been away from home now for 14 years. I joined the military and left my family behind in Missouri to try to find my niche in life. Grace for us is remmebering each family member in our prayers and praying that one year, everyone will be able to come join us for Thanksgiving where ever the military takes me. Grace for the last 6 years has been providing a home and meal for Airmen away from their families as well.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of the word grace in the original greek is "undeserved love". Our family always keeps that meaning at the core of what we pray, at Thanksgiving time and throughout the year. Our prayers always reflect the undeserved love our Savior showed us on Calvary. A Thanksgiving prayer, specifically, is, "Lord of heaven and earth, you made all things. Thank you for gentle breezes and roaring seas. Thank you for homes to shelter us, for work, food and drink. Thank you for the joy of human friendship and for children at play. Thank you for Christian parents and the smiles on the faces of our loved ones. Thank you for you Son, Jesus, for his coming to us in Word and Sacrament. Lead us in thankful living today and always. Amen.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother is the matriarch of our large family, and it is in her home that we celebrate Thanksgiving each year. We all hold hands and form a circle that extends from the kitchen to the den and living room. Each person tells one thing that they are thankful for, from the 3 year olds to my 95 year old grandmother. She will then end the Thanksgiving by "saying grace", as she puts it. It is memorable each year and something I look forward to.
ReplyDeleteAt my in-laws house we always gather around the table, hold hands and each take turns saying what we are thankful for in that particular season of our lives. Then, we say a prayer thanking the Lord for each other and our meal.
ReplyDeleteMelody
melodius20@hotmail.com
Well, my dad is a man of few words and he always leads Grace each Thanksgiving. He used to say simply, "God Bless our family, our food, etc." But, ever since my sister died there's this awkward silence every year before we eat because all of us around the table know what's coming. It always makes us tear up that he will only say the following words......."God Bless Tricia, we miss you."
ReplyDeleteAs sad as that sounds, I consider it Thanksgiving because any time to reflect on my sister Tricia is special and worth a few tears.
On a happier note, Rocco (who is now 3 years old) has this overwhelming urge to say our Grace every night before anyone else can get a word in. It goes something like this:
"Dear God,
Thank you for this food, but tell mommy I love grilled cheese......not chicken. And, God, thank you for Gabby, Alex, mommy, daddy and Rocco. And, God, you gotta be nice."
It's so darn funny and cute. He means to tell God to help us always be nice, but instead says, "God, you gotta be nice."
We say grace with each person sharing ideas they are thankful for. It is very nice and I see a similiar tradition exits in other homes. Thank you for asking.
ReplyDeleteMichelle
Hi Kendall,
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pieces you create...thank you for sharing!
After reading the above posts, although I love your "Grace" piece, there are others who may need it more due to their 'grace'. But, I will share our tradition...just for fun and because it makes me warm to remember my mother Gwen...actually I am starting a foundation in her honor, hoping to name it "Gwen's Grace".
We, like many others, go around the table at Thanksgiving and each one says what they are thankful for. It's been a long time since I was at my mother's table for Thanksgiving, the last time I saw her was in 1991 and she was in the hospital. We didn't know at the time that it would be her last Thanksgiving, and although she was very sick, my four siblings and I went to Seattle to see her...hoping to enjoy her amazing cooking, especially her oyster stuffing! It was the first time in nine years that all five of us brothers and sisters had been together with our mother. Although we saw each other and her often, we were so spread out across the country, and with families of our own, it was difficult to arrange a reunion...this one was not what we would have wanted to plan. Leaving Mom in the hospital, we went to her home and did what she would have done...cook, cook and cook! Dinner was delicious, but certainly not the same, although we did enjoy the oyster stuffing. For me, the most special thing was cooking with her things...the utensils, pots and pans that I was raised with...those memories of her at the stove, using them, watching her cook.
Our mother died in early December of that year. I never saw her again. She was 61 and my best friend. She use to tell me that if she had the choice of doing anything differently in her life, she would have said "NO" more often, just in general, as a women...feeling like she 'had' to do things she really didn't want to do when someone asked her to; to please others. The other was huge, and I pass in on often...my mother said, "I would have hugged my babies more!" Two things, simple, but huge...say no more often, (take care of you!) and, hug your babies!
My mother, Gwen Gossett ~ full of Grace!
I love you Mom, Kimberly Jean xoxoxo :)
fortunate929@yahoo.com/Weaving Rivers(Facebook)
Since our daughter's name is Grace, we purchased a book named "Grace" with about 200 ways to say Grace at each meal. She feels very special when we go around the table and say what is in our hearts, especially our thanks for our family who is the joy and sunshine in our lives.
ReplyDeleteAt Thanksgiving we put down the book and say whatever is on our mind. Now that we have a little boy as well, the thanks are for "Spiderman, Handy Manny, Matchbox cars and of course Mommy, Daddy, Gigi (Grace), Grandma, Papa, Maggie the dog, Mike the fish, my mommy's stuffing, Daddy's chocolate cream pie....."
We all talk until our thoughts are empty and or tummy's are growling.
Amen!
Leslie Chiappetti
for us Grace is not what we do at the dinner table...our prayers at the table are very simple and to the point. Grace is a gift of love from God as to how we can live out His love every day. It's the love of God overflowing in us to be a blessing to those who aren't lovable. It's being able to make the choice to love at all times, even when people aren't lovable or life is more than hard. It is the gift of being able to cry mercy when we don't walk in grace, and recieving that love! God is soo good to us!
ReplyDeleteWe say grace at Thanksgiving.. but I say it with my heart every night.
ReplyDeleteI used to pray for knowledge of why my baby was taken from me. I had many dreams of angels in various forms. They comforted me. And then the Lord blessed me with a healthy baby, now 7 years old. So when I say grace.. I thank him for the son I buried and I thank him for the son I was blessed with two years later. I thank him every time I see a sunset, or just a flock of birds flying across the sky. I thank him for allowing me to witness the glory of every day graces. Every flower, every autum tree- I find grace in nature.. in my babies.. and in life.
Here is my version of grace. I hope you enjoy it. God bless you and your family. Your work is inspired.
ReplyDeleteDear God, we thank you for all the many blessings you give us each and every day. We are especially greatful for the friends and family who have gathered around this table today and in years past. We ask that you continue to bless us and to keep us on the path that will eventually lead us home to you. And we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Ohhh the memories. From flinging mashed potatoes to laughing so hard we can't breathe, my family+our tiny country kitchen= hilarity, mayhem, love...and lots of empty plates.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Grace is more than words said before a meal. It's a hope, a celebration, it doesn't need to have structure (As a child, I used to pray that "God would make the Devil good" haha, because I believed since a young age that God can do anything- My family knew then that I tend to think outside of the proverbial box).
A family prayer that I remember saying since I was a child is:
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you, God, for everything.
Amen.
As a child, I easily remembered and recited this sing song prayer, and as I grew, instead of just 'going through the motions,' I actually began to mean every word of that prayer I've said several thousand times throughout my lifetime. Prayer has always had a special place in my family, and Thanksgiving is no exception.
At Thanksgiving, we start out with our traditional prayer, then we go around the table and (some of us begrudgingly and/or sheepishly) say what we are thankful for at that moment in time. This can be derived from recent or long ago experiences, or literally from that moment in time; indeed, it could be a fleeting sensation, and as an opera vocal major in college, I can only appreciate how fleeting and precious those moments with my family are, which is why this Thanksgiving holds extra weight and significance in my heart. My mother's and great grandmother's respective health is declining, so while I am away at college, I do my best to call and iChat (thank God for technology, eh?), but there is no substitute for giving someone a hug and a kiss.
A personal Thanksgiving tradition of mine is to (when it comes to be my turn to say what I'm thankful for) focus on bad things that I'm thankful for, because I love finding the good in the bad. I noticed of late that my family is picking up on this and that, too, is becoming a family tradition that we can share. That's what it's all about- Sharing at Thanksgiving and thanking God for the opportunity! Plus falling asleep after dessert from the tryptophan in the turkey (or in my case tofurkey!) is an unspoken tradition that we've "gobbled" up over the years. (Pardon the pun)! I've been saved by Grace and to say Grace at the dinner/Thanksgiving table is an honour that my family will never tire of, for we will never stop Thanking God for the good, and the bad, in this world of ours.
Thank you, Kandall, for your beautiful art and words. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Best,
Ali P.
Oh no, I've misspelled your name! I apologize. Ahem...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kendall, for your beautiful art and words!!! And again, a very Happy Thanksgiving!
-Ali P.
Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year! Every year on Thanksgiving my family get together and draw names for Christmas, whoever you get is who you buy a present for and it can't be an expensive gift, it has to cost around $10-$20 just so everyone can afford to buy for that person. My family is very religous and very traditional, every year we always go to my Aunts house (because she has a huge house to hold us all) for Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone always tries to bring a dish. I remember my Grandmas stuffing and vegetable plate, I always pigged out on the black olives for some reason and my Grandma would be right there when I was grabbing for them to make sure I saved some for everyone else :) (RIP Grandma & Grandpa) I'm gonna miss them the most this year, Thanksgiving isn't going to be the same this year because my grandpa was the one who always said the lords prayer before we started eating dinner. My Grandpas death was very hard on all of us. We were all by his side the day he died. Before he slipped into a coma on Valentines Day he said to us that the lord had visited him and told him that he would be going home Friday night, he told us this on Thursday night and the next night (friday)at exactly 6:30 pm he went with the lord, but before he passed, he opened his eyes one last time to see us all and I remember screaming his name and gently shaking his shoulder because I thought he was waking up and thats when he took his last breaths. I've always believed in the lord and now I really know there is a heaven, because the lord spoke to my grandpa and told him the exact day he would be walking beside him. I Love you Grandma and Grandpa, I miss you so much.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless Everyone!
Carrie Copeland
carrie-78@live.com
Our family Grace for Thanksgiving is done the same way it was done by my grandparents and (still) my parents,, and now my generation. The head of whoever is hosting (we rotate between my parents, my brother's home and ours) begins by thanking God for each person specifically, mentioning something special or unique about that person, then he prays for those unable to join us, those that may have passed away during the year and then prays for God's leading and blessing over the coming year. If this is my father, he then prays again for each grandchild, choking up when he comes to the baby, our Olivia. She was born at 25 weeks and is now a healthy and beautiful 8 year old, but he still chokes up every year. :)
ReplyDeleteGrowing up we would say:
ReplyDelete"God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Bow our heads. We are fed. Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.
We continued the same blessing with our daughter, but it has now changed since she has started 3K at our church. They sing:
"God our Father, God our Father. We thank you. WE thank you. For our many blessings. For our many blessings. Amen. Amen."
Hope your family has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
(I met you on Halloween night while trick-or-treating with your granddaughter, Evey. I am in the same Mama&Me bible study with Jordan.....you made a cute clown:):):)
Mallory
Traditions are often passed down from one generation to the next. We learn things from our parents and pass them down to our children. However, saying Grace in our home was not passed down through many generations. My husband's family has always said the same prayer: "Father of all. God, what we have here is of Thee. Take our thanks and bless us, as we continue to do Thy will. Amen." This was the prayer that was said in the orphanage that my father-in-law grew up in. After his mother died suddenly from a brain aneurism, and his father was unable to care for him, he went to live in an orpanage with his two younger brothers and younger sister. These words were written on the wall in their dining hall, and all of the orphans would says this prayer before they began to eat. My father-in-law taught the prayer to his family and they have said the same prayer throughout the years. My husband and I will continue this tradition with our son and future children. It is a humbling reminder, as I imagine those children without parents on a holiday,thanking God for their blessings, that we should all give thanks to our God... not only on Thanksgiving, but always.
ReplyDeleteThank God in everything, no matter what the circumstances may be, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5: 18
Kristy Jones
Kristyhjones@gmail.com
Kristyandstevenjones.blogspot.com
My 3 year old sings it best (to the tune of "Are you sleeping"):
ReplyDelete"God our Father, God our Father; Once again, Once again; We are here to thank you, We are here to thank you; All our men, All our men" (supposed to be AMEN)
He he he :)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Usually my father says the blessing. Sometimes he will ask my mom to pray. The most amazing thing to me is that even though she now has Alzheimer's Disease (middle stage), when Dad asks her to "say the blessing", she bows her head, closes her eyes, and says, "Thank you Lord for this food we're about to eat, may it nourish our bodies and bless our loved ones that are gathered together! In Jesus' Name, Amen." Isn't that amazing? Now that is GRACE!
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