It is customary to say "grace" before meals, particularly if it's the Thanksgiving meal. Some families go around the table declaring one thing they are thankful for. Our family was never that sentimental. Someone would say the standard prayer we learned as good Catholics and then we would dig in! When I was young, it felt right to do that. As I got older, I really didn't want to say the prayer because while I still considered myself Christian, I really didn't feel like thanking God for the meal that *I* slaved over. It's not like God went to work to earn the money for the food. And he didn't go to the store to buy all the food. And he certainly didn't spend hours in the kitchen preparing the meal. But nonetheless, someone would recite the prayer. Whatever. Let's just get to the food, huh?
So today was the first Thanksgiving in which I know for a fact that I don't believe in God. However, of the eight people around my table, only my daughter and myself are non-believers. Beforehand, I practiced in my mind what I might say instead of "grace." I figured I would say something like, "Today we are thankful for good food, good health, and good friends." But I wimped out. I said "grace." Under the circumstances, it felt like it was the right thing to do.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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