Blessing our food . . .
I am not particularly religious. I have a Buddhist practice I’ve been consistently involved in for over 17 years, but I’ve never explored much with my children. Lately though, I have wanted to bring more spirituality to the home. One of my favorite things about the Waldorf schools is their reverence for the natural world. Here is a sweet blessing that is said before meals:
Earth who gives to us this food,
Sun who makes it ripe and good,
Dear Sun, Dear Earth,
Our loving thanks to you we give.
Dear Sun, Dear Earth,
Our loving thanks to you we give.
For the golden corn,
For the apples in the trees,
For the golden butter,
For the honey for our tea,
For fruits and nuts and berries
that grow along the way,
Dear Father Sun and Mother Earth,
We give our thanks this day
Blessings on the blossom,
Blessings on the fruit
Blessings on the leaves and stems,
And blessings on the root.
Nature is a gift from God. It is grace and beauty and wisdom miraculously illuminated in things that grow, that need each other in order to survive. Like a library filled with books, so, too, nature is a resplendent classroom, offering warmth, tranquility, and the primality of beings who walk upon the earth with majesty in each gentle step they take. Thank you, Shiva, for offering your table prayer to share.
thanks for sharing such a lovely blessing. i think that all the delicious things in the world are channels through which God is saying “I love you all”. : )
Our family also says this blessing before meals!