A Thanksgiving Prayer 2004

Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz, November 221, 2004

May our thanksgiving begin in the very essence of our beings.

May it start in our hearts, responding directly to the most fundamental realities in which we live and move and upon which we depend every moment of our lives.

First of all, may we give thanks for this Earth which is our home;

For its grandeur and its beauty, and the abundances of life which graces it;

For the transcendent sky; the billowing clouds; the winds of the heavens, and the stars of night;

For the cascading, living waters; and for the everlasting hills from whence cometh our strength; for the green refulgence of Earth, from whence cometh our peace;

For trees and woodlands and “flowers that bloom about our feet, and tender grass so fresh and sweet”;

For the ever-spinning wheel of life; the changing cycle of seasons; and for this special time which is the fall.

May we give thanks for our senses, by which we enjoy the splendor which is morning, and the benediction which is night.

We give thanks for all things that flap and flutter and squeak and chirp; and for all that creep and crawl, and stalk and strut; for whales and minnows and eagles and panthers; and for our human friends and family—wide as the whole world—with whom we share this Earth.

May all these blessings of Life—and the countless others we could list and not even scratch the surface of your grace—open our hearts, O God. May they stretch our souls. May they inspire us to use more daringly, creatively, and wisely the precious gifts of faith and service which our own spirits have to offer.

May our thanks-giving become transformed within us into a deep and profound spirit of thanks-living.

Amen.

jbs
11/21/93 - 11/21/04

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