Are you looking this product? Now you can get product in PDF Format,just following step by step until finish you will be guided downloading this book for free, Enjoy it.
"Bless our hearts to hear in the breaking of bread the song of the universe. Prayers across cultures"
-Father John Giuliani
The concept of grace is different for different people. For some the idea of beauty is what comes first to mind, while for others the image of movement is what they begin to imagine. Some might hear the song Amazing Grace in their head, a well-known 18th century hymn by John Newton or others may think of the child's book they read called All About Grace. For yet others the idea of the prayer we say before eating might be the meaning of grace. We would like to focus on this concept because it is associated with the importance of family rituals. Why are family rituals important? A family tradition or ritual is something experienced together with regularity and provides each member with a sense of belonging to the family unit. Just think how much quality time you really spend with your child, and how much of that time is spent disciplining, arguing, and in power struggles. It's a sobering thought!
We invite you to create special rituals with your children or teens to deepen your attachment and instil values. Saying grace before the meal ignites an atmosphere of sharing and intimacy when eating together, and this is one such ritual. Light a candle in the dining room and put a special bouquet or even a flower or herb picked from your garden on the table. Put some gentle soothing music in the background. Make every meal a special occasion. I remember as a child my parents always made sure we ate at the same time each evening and we shared about our day. We were not allowed to eat separately off of trays watching TV. I have kept that as a special memory as an adult, even though as a child I might have been annoyed at times.
No matter what religion you believe or if you are a non-believer, saying grace with your family can be a very special ritual to create. Sometimes families can say the same prayer in a rote manner and it loses its meaning. When a family offers a special blessing at the table before eating, they are not only giving thanks for the food, they are saying thanks for their love and togetherness and thanks for this amazing planet. Saying grace begins the ritual of nourishing relationships as well as the body. A blessing for food and sharing of food is a universal cultural experience because it is an appreciation for the sacred gift of food that has been going on throughout the ages.
Prayers may be attached to different religions or they may be non-religious prayers that induce a sense of gratitude and spirituality. It would be enriching for your children to experience and to enjoy the beauty and diversity that is evoked in blessings and prayers around the world. Saying grace from another culture offers your child a wonderful gift as you are a role model by introducing them to traditional blessings and prayers which connect them to all humankind. Your family members may be a bit embarrassed at first as they take turns saying grace, but give them time because they will eventually look forward to this family ritual. Even stroppy teens who go through the motions will be positively effected by it. We need to express grace in the preparation of our meals with a sense of pleasure, respecting both food and one another.
How did this expression of thankfulness for the food and the good fortunes in our lives come to be called grace? When we say a blessing before eating food as a family, what exactly are we doing? It seems that we are feeling thankful that the forces of the universe have seen fit to provide us with good health, the ability to work and earn money, and to put food on the table. We thank our Higher Power for these things because we don't truly know the process that brought about our good fortune. Whether God has a specific religious connotation for you or a more general application of the mystery of life, when we say grace, we are being thankful that we have been able to live a life where we are nourished, where we share our blessings with family, and enjoy an internal feeling of health and goodness. We feel there is something peaceful and inspirational inside ourselves that is in some way we are connected with the beauty we see when we watch the ballet or the strutting peacock or feel the warmth of the sun on our face.
In America, Thanksgiving is the holiday that is most celebrated. Americans of course are all different nationalities and all different ethnicities, but the day of Thanksgiving in November is a day that everyone enjoys as a day to be thankful for what they have. The origins of that day relate to the pilgrims when they felt thankful that they were successful with their first harvest. They stopped to give thanks to God for their success in their new lives. They were successful because they worked hard, had the stamina to succeed, and the motivation to start from nothing and create a new life. There something in all of us that makes us feel thankful for that unknown source of motivation and courage. A day of giving thanks is not solely an American tradition. In many countries of the world people choose a day in the year to stop their busy lives and give thanks for what they have and have been given. In France that day is called Le Jour D'Actions de Grace, the day of the actions of grace. It is a day of thanksgiving, but there is the connotation that the actions of grace are one of the mysteries of life.
There is a wonderful book called Bless this Food: Ancient & Contemporary Graces from Around the World by Adrian Butash. She investigated and found 160 mealtime blessings, including prayers from a variety of religions, ancient traditions, and visionary authors, as well as two in American Sign Language. We have included some of the prayers and blessings below from both books so you can get a sample of how fun it will be to say these before dinner and enjoy saying grace in a different way. Enjoy these moments of grace, create your own moments of grace and be motivated by grace in the world to inspire you as you experience your family rituals through this week.
Latin America
To those who have hunger,
Give bread.
And to those who have bread,
Give the hunger for justice.
Coptic, Egypt
Bless, O Lord, the plants, the vegetation,
and the herbs of the field,
that they may grow
and increase to fullness
and bear much fruit.
And may the fruit of the land
remind us of the spiritual fruit
we should bear.
Sioux, Native American
I'm an Indian.
I think about the common things like this pot.
The bubbling water comes from the rain cloud.
It represents the sky.
The fire comes from the sun,
Which warms us all, men, animals, trees.
The meat stands for the four-legged creatures,
Our animal brothers,
Who gave themselves so that we should live.
The steam is living breath.
It was water, now it goes up to the sky,
Becomes a cloud again.
These things are sacred.
Looking at that pot full of good soup,
I am thinking how, in this simple manner,
The Great Spirit takes care of me
© 2009 Dr. Angel Adams & Dr. Patricia Papciak. All Rights Reserved.