Gratitude and Grace – 5 Poems and Prayers for your Thanksgiving and Everyday
UPDATED: 11/2023
During the month of November, the themes of gratitude and grace come to the forefront as many of us gather at the Thanksgiving table with family and friends. And whether the prospect of this gathering makes your stomach turn or warms your heart, I hope the following ideas for expressing gratitude and grace will help you not only to find inner peace, but to share kindness and grace with others.
What Is Grace?
According to Merriam-Webster, there are eight different meanings for the word grace. There are three that resonate best with me: “a virtue coming from God” , “the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful”. And, of course there is also the short prayer at a meal, a practice for many, especially at Thanksgiving.
In his poetic exploration of grace, Rumi says, “Give up to grace. The ocean cares for each wave until it reaches the shore. “ To me, he is calling us to have faith in a higher being and to hand over our burdens knowing that we will be supported. This practice that can be challenging especially when we are conflicted between reason and emotion.
Being considerate or thoughtful, can sometimes be difficult especially in a world where there is so much negativity, vitriol, and hate. When the reaction to criticism or even suggestion is to brush it off, act harshly or be cruel, we continue the cycle of discord. Instead, it helps to remember that even if we don’t like the answer, the response should be delivered thoughtfully and with grace.
Saying grace before a meal, especially on Thanksgiving, is a cherished tradition that encompasses reflection, gratitude, and connection. It prompts us to pause and reflect on the journey of our food from source to table, fostering a sense of interconnectedness. It cultivates gratitude, reminding us of the abundance in our lives and promoting a positive outlook. For those with faith, it offers a moment to connect with a higher power, while in the company of loved ones, it strengthens bonds and unites hearts.
Finding Gratitude With Yoga
This seated yoga practice, with its gentle arm movements and flowing breath, carries a profound impact in your daily routine. I can see that smile on your face as you engage in this practice.
Gratitude and grace seated yoga flow.
Gratitude and Grace Poems and Prayers
I first wrote this blog in 2019 and I still love the poems I originally chose. This year I add a new poem to the mix by jaiya john, a writer and poet I recently discovered.
This poem is from the book fragrance after rain by jayai john
GRATITUDE IS A RIVER. If you live in it, your heart and soul grow supple. You flow with life. If you leave gratitude’s river behind, everything you are grows hard, rigid, suffering. Your body, your spirit, your relations, your life.
Stay in the river, Revolutionary. Especially as you work to heal and unpeel the countless layers of oppression that shape your life and the world. Identify your blessings. Name them, so they know when you are calling for them. Feed them. They like organic nourishment. Praise them. They will swell. Mantra your names. They will multiply. Rest with them. They will be your fire and dance. Stay in the river of Gratitude. It will carry you to your dream home. Which is Peace.
Gratitude by Melody Beattie From www.melodybeattie.com
Say thank you until you mean it.
Thank God, life, and the universe for everyone and everything sent your way.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow
Gratitude makes things right.
Gratitude turns negative energy into positive energy. There is no situation or circumstance so small or large that it is not susceptible to gratitude’s power. We can start with who we are and what we have today, apply gratitude, then let it work its magic.
Say thank you, until you mean it. If you say it long enough, you will believe it.
We Thank Thee by Ralph Waldo Emerson
For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky,
Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high,
Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light,
Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night,
Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
Everyday Grace by Stella Nesanovich From poetryfoundation.org
It can happen like that:
meeting at the market,
buying tires amid the smell
of rubber, the grating sound
of jack hammers and drills,
anywhere we share stories,
and grace flows between us.
The tire center waiting room
becomes a healing place
as one speaks of her husband's
heart valve replacement, bedsores
from complications. A man
speaks of multiple surgeries,
notes his false appearance
as strong and healthy.
I share my sister's death
from breast cancer, her
youngest only seven.
A woman rises, gives
her name, Mrs. Henry,
then takes my hand.
Suddenly an ordinary day
Becomes holy ground.
A Meditation on Gratitude and Joy by Jack Kornfield
With gratitude I remember the people, animals, plants, insects, creatures of the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day.
With gratitude I remember the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me.
I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the blessing of this earth I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the measure of health I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given.
Just as we are grateful for our blessings, so we can be grateful for the blessings of others.
Want more resources to help you navigate grief and loss? Download the Free Tips for Grief Relief Guide