I grew up in a home that always said grace before a meal, and we have tried to maintain that habit in our own home. My father-in-law was fond of ending his grace by asking God to keep us mindful of the needs of others. What a precious heritage.
Saying grace to promote mindful eating and nurture a grateful heart can become a great way to remind yourself of the miracle of the food before you and its power to provide your body and mind with everything it needs for optimal operation. Over the years I have developed a habit of eating very fast. It started by grabbing a quick bite between meetings and soon it was the normal cadence at all my meals. It only changed when I was eating with family or friends. When I eat in community, I’m naturally slowed down by the convivial exchange and frequent laughter. I’m learning that if I start by being grateful and then eat mindfully, I am giving myself the best opportunity to utilize all the nutrients in my meal.
Giving thanks for food is a tradition in most religions and cultures and has been recorded for as long as man has communicated through art and language. In Japan they traditionally clap their hands together and say something that means I gratefully receive. Ralph Waldo Emerson professed an interesting relationship with God, but I find his grace centering. “For each new morning with it’s light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. We offer thanks, Amen.” I’m confident he contemplated nature’s bounty and God’s goodness with every bite. The food I eat after taking the time to offer grace, and slow down enough to be mindful of each bite, tastes better.
So rather your family is a ‘Bless us and these Thy gifts which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness’ or a ‘Rub a Dub Dub, thanks for the Grub, Yay God’ type of family, taking the time to eat your food mindfully, slowly and gratefully improves every part of the process. Gratitude turns what we have into enough!
“He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily.” (Acts 27:35 NASB)
“Mindfulness is the act of consciously, intentionally, and proactively deciding on behaviors that serve your purpose.” (Dean Sherzai, MD, PhD, and Ayesha Sherzai, MD, MAS The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution)
“Gratitude is good for our bodies and strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces symptoms of illness, and makes us less bothered by aches and pains.” (UC Berkeley – Gratitude and Mindful Eating)
Yours for a Joyful Journey,
Joyice