ALT-5 Thanksgiving Prayers and Blessings

From 3arf

Each year on this November holiday I develop some angst.  Not for the food we are about to receive or the friends and family we break bread with, but with the thought of having to be the one who guides everyone in the traditional prayer before we eat.  This comes hard for me now and has for years because I’m no longer a religious person in the traditional sense.  Praying to an unknown being that originated in ancient times when people extrapolated their lack of knowledge about how the universe works to anthropomorphic beings in the sky or hidden within the earth’s flora, fauna, stone and seas has no appeal to me any longer for reasons that I’ll not annoy you with here.

This however is a problem because the rest of my family, including my wife, though not religious zealots, are still accustomed to and expect expressions that give “thanks to God for all of our bounties”.  Never mind that this omniscient being was there only in thought rather than physically aiding any of us to achieve our goals; as long as we could carry our imaginary character around with us where ever we went we felt secure and sure in the belief that whatever successes we did have were of his doing.  His evil counterpart (also a creation of man) was responsible for all the bad things.

But I digress as I knew I would.  The problem arises with the expectation of those friends and relatives who come to my house for the festive occasion and feel the prayer before the meal is necessary.  In the past I have put together several verses giving thanks without invoking some holy scriptural deity.  I would leave it up to each individual to assimilate theirs into a final “Amen”.  But even this became uncomfortable for me so I would allow one of the faith believing relatives to say the required prayer.

Last year I made the mistake of allowing my older “born-again”, politically conservative brother say the prayer and got instead a damnation of the Obama administration that was taking this country down the path of ruin.  I’m thinking I’ll let my conservative fundamentalist sister-in law say the prayer this Thanksgiving because she is not open to such angry political Tea Party displays for such reverent occasions.

However, I still feel a responsibility as the traditional head of this house (actually it’s a joint partnership with my wife) to be the one who gives a blessing of sorts before the actual feasting begins.  I have thought of repeating something along the lines of what I did before but without any suggestion that non-human forms are to be acknowledged for what we are thankful for.  It dawned on me that I could create a positive commentary by using a negative inverse form of speech.  You know, like being thankful for having all of our limbs as opposed to those who have lost them in wars.

It is a bit deceptive of me but it serves the purpose for exposing that those things that too many of us take for granted are the result of corporeal beings on this planet suffering the consequences of other’s actions; not from some ancient fantasy.  Inevitably we exist on this small dot in the galaxy as a result of conditions that are more prone to chaos than they are to some controllable force.  This fragile balance we exist in can go spinning out of control easier today than when man first contrived imaginary super powers and it needs to be demonstrated to each and every one of us that it is in our own self-interest and that of future generations that we cease to act as if we are not all connected.

All that some of us truly have to be thankful for is so because of a combination of determination, both as an individual and as part of a larger community and a healthy dose of pure luck, or fate if you will.  By standing before a table of nutritional (and  not so nutritional) abundance today, be thankful you are where you are instead of being one of the multitude whose life has been made miserable and reduced to desperation and loneliness because other humans looked at them as objects of scorn or indifference.

♥  I am thankful that I still have a home with a real roof over my head to live in rather than under a bridge or in a cardboard box

♥  I am thankful that I have parents, children and a spouse who love me unconditionally and don’t abuse me

♥  I am thankful I have my arms, legs and other body parts as opposed to those not so fortunate either as an accident of birth or as the result of war

♥  I am thankful that my health is such that I do not require medical attention that is only available for those who can pay for it

♥  I am thankful that I do not have to endure the humiliation from an insensitive few that berate me because I’ve lost my job and am temporarily dependent on unemployment benefits or the kindness of strangers.

♥  I am thankful that despite the pressures from others about one’s “life-style” that they can still make a future for themselves that feels right.

♥   I am thankful for those who have fought for this country regardless of their sexual orientation, their race or religious belief.

♥  I am thankful that I have clean water to drink and a ready source of food to sustain me unlike millions around the world who die from thirst and malnutrition each day.

♥  I’m thankful that there are people with big hearts who provide shelters and a home for many animals who are victims of abuse from other humans.

This type of blessing may make many feel uncomfortable on such a cheerful occasion but perhaps being pulled out of your comfort zone is itself a hidden blessing.

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