A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an invitation to a table, in celebration of the year's harvest, in celebration of abundance and life that comes to an end in the winter months ahead.

We come to the table hungry, looking to be fed and water, looking to come away again satisfied.

We come to the table broken. Lost loves and shattered hearts follow us here like ghosts. Illness obstructs our view, and all too often kills our appetite.

We come to the table lonely. Some of us are far from our homes, some of us are without a clear vision of home. We search for friendship we have not yet found and for a family without struggle. We seek to lay down at the feet of a lover to drink joy from companionship.

We come to the table tired from the weight of our worries. Preoccupied by the world that seems to crumble around us, we bear burdens of fear and guilt, longing and concern. Our mistakes, and our misfortunes refuse to be forgotten.

We come to the table uncertain, confused by the choices we face. We are doubtful of our convictions, tested on our faith, judged by our peers.In the face of our own failures we have become self-conscious and defensive . We have forgotten how to forgive ourselves and eachother.

We come to the table searching. Driven by a search for answers, and for the right questions, a search for stability, clarity and righteousness. In hopes of receiving thanks, we seek gratitude. We have come to find the strength to be thankful.

Before us is laid the feast of harvest. Around us; a family come together in love. Beside us; our dearest friends, found along the way. Within us is a call to give thanks for sunshine and seed, friend and neighbour, lover and sibling, parent and child, air and lungs, water and bread.

May our thanks be to God, or to the Earth. May our thanks be to eachother, or to ourselves. May our thanks be heard and welcomed.

Dearests, although outros are unusual for me, the message of my gratitude is one I try to repeat as often as possible. I know that many of you, close friends, blood relatives, near strangers, new acquaintances, have heard this before but it is with humility and in ernest that I say thank you. So I make this offering to you; I invite you to my table. Whenever the feeling of incompleteness, loneliness, sadness or confusion hits you, I invite you to contact me. Call me when you need a friendly voice, come share a meal with me when you need a helping hand. Do not hesitate to let me show you my gratitude for having you in my life. I am here to listen to the words stuck in your throat, the thoughts in taking up room your head and anything else you may feel the need to say.

Samantha Lalonde
(find all my contact info on facebook, or send me an email at childofthestork@hotmail.com )