Monday, July 7, 2008

Saying Grace With Grace

We always find it odd when people who like to say grace can be so graceless about it. Some have a way of making you feel like a heathen when you go straight for the food and not the blessing. "Exuuse me," we have to say grace first!" demands one friend with honorable intentions but a lousy way of delivering them.

Grace is a good thing. It's nice when people join hands, unite and  give thanks for what they're about to eat - Lord knows these days we better give as much thanks as possible for whatever blessings we have. 

Growing up Yvette and I weren't required to say grace but we were thankful for whatever food made its way to our table.  However, when we were guests in another home we always knew better than than to dive into our food. We took our cue from our hosts as we should all do. We didn't have a healthy stock of blessings in our repertoire so rather than trying bless along we were quiet and at the end would join in with a heartfelt, "Amen."

"Yvonne, we say grace at our table. Is that all right?" A friend asked when I was visiting her family in Kentucky.  

It was the first time I'd seen my friend and her husband since they'd had children.  I thought is was thoughtful of her to ask the question. It wasn't a demand, it wasn't aggressive and I felt privileged in that I was being asked to be included in their ritual.  

"Yes, of course," I said. We joined hands, my friend's husband blessed the table with something lovely and brief.  Lunch was great, my friends were gracious and their kids were charming.  It was truly a blessing and they made me feel as though I had graced their table.



















1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Jewish families say something special before every meal too!! When I was growing up, before we would eat, my father would always ask,"Where did you order this from?" It was a touching moment...