Grace

Today is Thanksgiving, that refreshingly non-commercial holiday when people gather at the table to give thanks.  The November 11, 2012 edition of Parade magazine featured a beautifully written "Views" column by author Anne Lamott about counting our blessings, what she called "holy moments of gratitude."   I particularly liked her description of some familiar words of grace said at many a table before dinner:  "a polite thank-you note to God, the silky magnetic energy of gratitude." In this world of frenzied competition and gimme-more-right-now, today is a fine reminder that there is something lovely and centering about simply saying thank-you for what you have -- be it family, your health, a home, a job, a meal, a friend, a smile from a stranger, whatever.   There is much for which to be thankful, as the familiar hymn says, with hearts and hands and voices.