is for food
An easy place to enter a gratitude practice is in acknowledgement of the food we eat every day. There’s a built in stop (meals) that can be helpful in establishing a practice. And it’s really not a stretch for most people to be grateful for something that is essential for their living, and over which so many of us have control to choose those things that please our palette.
I’ve often mentioned that one of the things I really delight in is my weekly CSA delivery of organic produce. It’s a regular gratitude fest over at my house when I’m unpacking the box – it just feels filled with love. Of course, lest you get the mistaken idea that my delight is reserved only for those healthy fruits and veggies, let me say I experience gratitude as well when I’m unpacking a bag of essence-infused chocolates. I’m an equal-opportunity joy finder. 😉
Years ago my guides suggested it was a helpful practice to bless all food and water before ingesting it, both out of acknowledgment of the contributions of all involved, but also as a way to make sure I was receiving what was offered at the highest available vibration to me by making sure I was centered in my heart. I love the practice of offering love and gratitude to water as well. I always find it a delight to look at Dr. Emoto’s photos of water crystals.
Taking a moment to express gratitude for food is also one of the ways to feel connected to the cycle of things, and that feels important to me. The Earth that supports and nourishes the seed, the seed itself, the farmer or gardener, the harvestor, the transporter, the cook, the meal partakers. It’s lovely to remember how much support we receive in the simple act of fueling our bodies.
I like this poem by Hannah Renglich who among other things is co-founder of the PeaceMeal Project.
Poem for a Chocolatada, 2009
A toast to those who gather to celebrate the bounty of the autumn harvest:
Here’s to your health and well being. Here’s to long conversations
filled with the glow of candlelight.
Here’s to the taste of justice each fork delivers to the tongue,
when eating from the soil you have worked with your own two hands.
Here’s to ancient recipes for chocolate, and to those who pass on
their secrets to the delight of the rest.
Here’s to the pleasure of our five senses, which allow us
to find joy in an evening filled with aromatic, colourful, sensuous morsels of food,
prepared lovingly by our friends and family.
Here’s to the miracle of the seed, from which springs forth new life,
providing an abundance from which to sow the next generation of plants.
Here’s to future generations, who may know the blessings of
home-grown, local meals, sustainable food systems,
and backyard gardens.
Here’s to your thoughtful, caring company, which graces the room tonight,
nourishing our souls as we nourish our bodies.
As you celebrate, may you be filled with satisfaction, happiness, wisdom, love,
and above all, a sense of peace.
Do you have a gratitude practice around food? A favorite food you love? Or maybe a food-related song to share we can put on our spin list? Do tell, you know I’d love to hear.
A food related song? Hmmm…. my mind gears are busy shifting on that one! I will think on that and let you know! I love the idea of practicing gratitude. Christians have done it for centuries with meal prayers and we have not done that in our family. I always feel a little uncomfortable with meal prayers, but I now have a new way to look at it. You always teach me so much. Glad to be doing this challenge with you because it keeps me coming back for your beautiful posts. 🙂 <3
Ok Amy I’m counting on you and your thinking cap to come up with a food song. My thinking cap went up in a puff of smoke on that one. With regard to prayer, that can be a tricky thing to think and talk about. While I’m not religious I consider myself deeply deeply connected to Spirit. I like to think of prayers as ladders to connect to the Divine.
Great post, and I heard a song about strawberries on the radio yesterday. 😉 Love Wei chocolates too.
Oh yum strawberries. Of course now the Chiquita banana jingle is playing in my head. Must be time for lunch. 😉 And then maybe an afternoon bit of chocolate.