We joyfully share these blessings, prayers, and invocations from diverse traditions, for meal times, gatherings, and Grateful Living. We wish you and yours a full-hearted and restorative Thanksgiving.
In a world where so many are hungry,
May we eat this food with humble hearts;
In a world where so many are lonely,
May we share this friendship with joyful hearts.
— Traditional, American
The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving.
In giving gifts, we give what we can spare,
but in giving thanks we give ourselves.
Let us now go around the table
and share something
for which we are thankful.
— Inspired by Br. David Steindl-Rast
We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life.
She supports our feet as we walk about upon her.
It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time.
To our mother, we send our greetings and our thanks.
Now our minds are one.
— Excerpt from Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
Gratitude before me,
gratitude behind me,
gratitude to the left of me,
gratitude to the right of me,
gratitude above me,
gratitude below me,
gratitude within me,
gratitude all around me.
— Angeles Arrien
The food which we are about to eat
Is Earth, Water and Sun, compounded through the alchemy of many plants.
Therefore Earth, Water and Sun will become part of us.
This food is also the fruit of the labor of many beings and creatures.
We are grateful for it.
May it give us strength, health, joy.
And may it increase our love.
— Unitarian Grace
Round the table
Peace and joy prevail,
May all who share
this season’s delight
enjoy countless more.
— Chinese blessing
Love, we thank you now for love, love that stirs and soothes us, love that gathers us into all joy and delivers us from all brokenness. Love that hears the soundless language, love that imagines and dreams, that can conquer all and willingly surrenders everything. Love that brought us into our lives and love that will carry us home.
— Daphne Rose Kingma
Thank you for the wind and rain
and sun and pleasant weather,
thank you for this our food
and that we are together.
— Mennonite blessing
Let us pray for all to be happy,
to love one another,
to help each other,
to gain wisdom,
for all to receive god’s blessings,
to break free from the illusion
that is distracting us from our true nature.
No one shall go hungry,
no one will suffer,
abundance is with everyone
and all negativity shall be removed!
— Brian Abiraj
Divine Mother
Mother of the Universe
Bless us with peace
Within and without.
— Jalaja Bonheim
Blessing for the Fullness of This Day
I bless this day in the fullness of good it already contains, in the many occasions it offers to listen deeply, to be of service to others, to express gratitude moment by moment and to keep my mind so filled with love, beauty and joy that no negativity can find even the tiniest crack in which to set foot. I bless this day in the infinite opportunities it gives me to love: to love and bless every human I meet, every beast or bird I pass by, every plant I behold, for all are but the manifold expressions of the infinite Life that undergirds all. Truly, I bless this day for the wonderful adventure it can become as I walk through it with the eyes of wonder rather than boredom, use every opportunity to express peace rather than irritation, and chose love over fear. Thank you, Life, for this day.
— Pierre Pradervand
Autumn
and our hearts
are seeking grace.
All around us
nature bids us
change.
Accept and give thanks
for falling
into surrender.
Into trust
that we will be held
and our brokenness
made whole.
— Author Unknown
Earth Water Air and Fire combined to make this food.
Numberless beings gave their lives and labor that we may eat.
May we be nourished that we may nourish life.
— Roshi Joan Halifax
As we sit at table and rejoice in the
mercy and goodness of the one God, may
the bonds of friendship be strengthened,
may our fellowship be a light in the darkness,
and—most importantly—may we
remember that in opening ourselves to each
other we open ourselves to God.
— Traditional, Islam
For food that stays our hunger,
For rest that brings us ease,
For homes where memories linger,
We give our thanks for these.
— Traditional, American
Enveloped in Your Light, may I be a beacon to those in search of Light.
Sheltered in Your Peace, may I offer shelter to those in need of peace.
Embraced by Your Presence, so may I be present to others.
— Rabbi Rami Shapiro
May we join hands around the dinner table,
To pray for the strength and patience to love one another.
May our circle grow with every birth and union,
Into a community united by love, rather than blood.
May every hardship make our circle stronger.
May it teach us that whenever we reach out in need,
Our hands will always be clasped in the palms of others.
— Taz Tagore
The ritual is One.
The food is One.
We who offer the food are One.
The fire of hunger is also One.
All action is One.
We who understand this are One.
— Traditional, Hindu
This plate is filled with food.
I am aware that each morsel is the fruit of much hard work
By those who produced it.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
May God protect us, grant us wisdom’s fruit;
may we gain energy to know the Truth;
may our intellects grow clear and bright;
may we cherish no ill feelings toward anyone.
Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.
— Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.1
A tree sprouts leaves, blossoms, and bears fruit
Only by welcoming raindrops, sun, and air inside.
Help us to welcome hardship, solitude, and others into our lives;
Nourished by profound experience, we too will bear fruit.
—Taz Tagore
One more day to serve.
One more hour to love.
One more minute to praise.
For this day I am grateful.
If I awaken to the morning sun,
I am grateful.
— Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
Dear Creator,
You, the borderless sea of substance,
we ask You to give to all the word that
which we need most — Peace.
— Dr. Maya Angelou
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.
— Child’s mealtime blessing
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving blessing? We would love for you to share it in the reflection area below.
Would you like to send a Thanksgiving eCard? Take a look at our seasonal collection.
We offer our heartfelt gratitude for these words of thanks and celebration to Pierre Pradervand and the Gentle Art of Blessing, Dance for All People, Seasons of Thanks, Graces and Blessings for Every Home by Taz Tagore, World Prayers, and A Grateful Heart: Daily Blessings for the Evening Meal from Buddha to the Beatles edited by M.J. Ryan.
Photos by Brooke Lark
Thank you for all the wonderful blessings, which came to me via Daily Good. I want to share this blessing by Rabbi Rami Shapiro that my second grade class said together every Friday after we baked bread to share. It is long, and we only recited the last verse, but I think the whole thing is worth reading:
My friends, let us give thanks for Wonder.
Let us give thanks for the Wonder of Life that infuses all things now and forever.
Blessed is the Source of Life, the Fountain of Being,
the wellspring of goodness, compassion and kindness,
from which we draw to make for justice and peace.
From the creative power of Life we derive food and harvest,
from the bounty of the earth and the yields of the heavens
we are sustained and are able to sustain others.
All Life is holy, sacred, worthy of respect and dignity.
Let us give thanks for the power of heart
to sense the holy in the midst of the simple.
We eat not simply to satisfy our own appetites,
we eat to sustain ourselves in the task we have been given.
Each of us is unique, coming into the world with a gift no other can offer: ourselves.
We eat to nourish the vehicle of giving,
we eat to sustain our task of world repair,
our quest for harmony, peace and justice.
We eat and we are revived,
and we give thanks to the lives that were ended to nourish our own.
May we merit their sacrifice,
and honor their sparks of holiness through our deeds of loving kindness.
We give thanks to the Power that makes for Meeting,
for our table has been a place of dialogue and friendship.
We give thanks to Life.
May we never lose touch with the simple joy and wonder of sharing a meal.
~ Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro
Thank you for this wonderful list of blessings. Just a note: the link to Pierre Pradervand’s site The Gentle Art of Blessing is not working as you have it, here is the correct link https://gentleartofblessing.org/ and below his blessing for a day spent in gratitude
191 For Spending a Day in Gratitude
Such a great deal has been written in recent years about the power of gratitude it appears unnecessary to belabor this point. It is impossible – repeat, impossible – to hold at the same time the slightest negativity of any sort and authentic gratitude. Their coexistence is simply impossible, and the choice is always ours.
May this day be a constant canticle of gratitude from now on till I retire tonight.
May I welcome any negative event with gratitude for the growth it will produce in my life.
May I face every single encounter with gratitude for the manifestation of divine love it represents.
May I face any disgruntled, depressed, angry or sad face with gratitude that my blessings can uplift and help dissolve such attitudes.
May I eat my meals with gratitude for all those who have participated in bringing them onto my table.
However tedious, unimportant or boring my work may appear, may I perform it with the understanding that the very act of giving thanks can profoundly transform it.
And above all, may I understand that the choice between complaint, indifference and gratitude is mine at every single moment of my life.
Blessings to you all!
Manuela
THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS
A day set aside for giving thanks,
A fitting way to voice our appreciation,
A wonderful loving thing to do
Expressing a prayer of gratitude.
I AM SO GRATEFUL for the ritual of Thanksgiving,
Our forefathers hunted wild game and planted the land,
Loading their tables with the bounties of the earth,
Remembering that first meal shared by the Pilgrims and Indians
Reminds us that giving thanks has long been the way.
I AM SO GRATEFUL for savory foods on Turkey Day,
Stuffing prepared with apples and raisins,
Cranberries gleaming atop a table set with white linen,
Spiced pumpkin pie fragrant and flaky–
One day is not enough to count all our blessings.
I AM SO GRATEFUL for a fitting time to express gratitude,
We bow our heads in silent prayer,
Remembering our loved ones far away,
For freedom, friends and work we do well,
Thankful we have lived yet another year.
–Katherine Scherer and Eileen Bodoh
Authors of “Gratitude Works: Open Your Heart to Love”