I did not make it to the computer yesterday. It is an unusual day when that happens. But yesterday was filled with simple acts of setting the table, washing dishes, mashing potatoes, talking and laughing, playing games…..all things enjoyed without the benefit of technology. Last night as I melted into a chair to think back over the day, I was struck with the fact that, though the traditions varied from house to house, church to church, apartment to apartment, shelter to shelter, we were all engaged in very similar acts. They were the simple acts of gathering as people,eating together and in some way claiming a sense of gratitude. No matter how complicated our lives have become, there are still these simple acts that unite us.

At our home as we gathered around our table for grace, it was not lost on a single person there that we were, indeed, privileged people. Many of the prayers offered reflected our blessings but also the clear understanding that there were others who did not share in the privileged life we presented. We were the people of ‘more-than-enough’, those who did not struggle to bring the food to the table. We were the people who belonged, to one another, to families, to friendships honed over years, grounded in a deep love and shared history. We were not the ones who live on the margins, who do not know whom they can trust, who their true friends are, those who have lost contact with family.

And so as the following prayer was offered, we stood fully in our place of privilege, knowing that, as my mother often said to me…….. ‘to whom much has been given, much will be required.’ In our thanksgiving was also the commitment to hold gently what we have and to reach out.

At Thanksgiving: A Franciscan Benediction

May you be blessed with discomfort at easy answers, half truths,and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May you be blessed with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. May you be blessed with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them. May you be blessed with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done: to bring justice and kindness to all.