Posts Tagged ‘Giving Thanks’

 

One Gift

Posted on: September 19th, 2014 by Alden

IMG_8211Each moment brings a new gift, the gift of now. Now is the source of all gifts. G-d is the Source of now. Here are three related meditations: “Leaving,” “Arriving” and “Now.”

One Gift
There is but one gift
That is the source of all blessings:
The gift of now.
Now is the source
Of you, my friend,
Of us, my love,
Of sky and rain,
Of thunder and light,
Of season and harvest,
Of mystery and adventure,
Of awe and wonder.
Now is the source of blessings.

There is but one Source
For this well of blessings
This flow of now:
You, G-d of All Being.
You are the Source
Of friendship and love,
Of tide and bounty,
Of endings and beginnings,
Of Torah and wisdom,
Of radiance and splendor,
Of holiness and healing.
You, Holy One, are the
Source of all gifts, the
Source of all blessings, the
Source of now.

© 2014 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Consider using this prayer on Thanksgiving. Please take a look at my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Thanksgiving Meditation

Posted on: November 18th, 2012 by tobendlight

img_0719Here’s a meditation to be used when gathered with friends and family at the Thanksgiving table. This prayer appears in my book, This Grateful Heart, from CCAR Press. Here’s a link to more Thanksgiving prayers.

Meditation at the Thanksgiving Table
G-d on high,
What an abundance of gifts
Arrayed before us.
Food, family, friends.
Your bounty and grace.

Let us remember those in need,
And those who are also present here in silence:
The fruit and vegetables picked by migrant workers.
The fields planted and picked by underpaid laborers
In the cold rain and blazing sun.
The clothing made by children in factories,
Modern day slaves indentured by poverty.

Let me remember those who suffer daily
Alone and in fear.
Perhaps someone at this table or in a home nearby
Is nursing a broken heart,
Or hiding the secret of addiction, violence, trauma or pain,
Someone whose sorrows and losses are judged and shunned
By our neighbors and our society.

Let this day be the beginning of a deeper love for all beings.
Let this day be the beginning of healing for all creatures.
Let this day be the foundation of service to Your world.
Let this moment be for rejoicing in all Your gifts.

Thank you,
G-d on High,
For the gifts placed before us:
The awareness of suffering and
The opportunity to heal,
The abundance in our lives and
Your call to share these riches
In love.

© 2017 CCAR Press from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day

Postscript: See also “Life as a Banquet,” “An Amazing Life” and “Giving Thanks.” Here’s a link to more Thanksgiving Day prayers.

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Sexton Farms

Life as a Banquet

Posted on: August 29th, 2010 by tobendlight

MG_9905The banquet of your life is full. Rejoice in the blessings. Share the bounty. This is one of four prayers that begin with a reflection on human limits as the gateway to rejoicing in Divine gifts. And sharing them. Here’s a link to more prayers appropriate for Thanksgiving.

Life as a Banquet
G-d of sacred time,
Source of sacred space,
Creator of holiness,
Divine light of wonder and awe,
My vision is clouded,
My sight limited,
The horizon of this world binds my perceptions.
What I see and what I know are tied to my awareness.

Heavenly hand of wisdom,
Guardian of realms above and realms below,
You who give understanding and insight,
Grant me the grace to live my life as a banquet,
A river of abundance and blessing
That yields food and clothing and shelter,
That I accept with humility and thanksgiving.
Give me the strength and compassion
To share these gifts with those in need,
To become an instrument of Divine bounty.

You who provide gifts beyond measure,
Guide me with Your love,
Teach me with Your holiness,
Show me the path to charity and service,
So that I live a life of dignity and honor,
With reverence for Your creation.

Blessed are You, G-d of time and space,
Providing bounty to be shared.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Please check out these related prayers: “Life as a Symphony,” “Life as a Ceremony” and “Life as a Garden.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

Photo Source: Taste With the Eyes

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6