Thank You: Politeness or Prayer

At an early age, most people are taught to say, “Thank you.” Parents beam when their young children get it right, but that’s not always the case.

At a pre-Christmas family dinner, an aunt and uncle were visiting from another state. They had brought their nephew's son a child’s nativity set.

He was busy handling the figures when his mom said, “What do you say to Aunt B?” He looked up and said, “Bye-bye.” Oops! More training was on the way.

This week I was enjoying my colorful breakfast. Why I noticed it, I don’t know. It was a familiar combination. But there I sat admiring the white yogurt, the “blue” berries, brown and beige cereal, and white almond milk.

Besides being colorful, it blended together in a tasty way. As I crunched on my favorite cereal, I mentally reviewed Genesis, Chapter One, where God created trees and plants with seeds inside to keep on reproducing food. God included “seeds” in all of Creation . . . birds of the air, sea creatures, animals, and people to reproduce “their kind.”

In my family, prayers before meals were routine. By that, I do not mean rote. Usually, mom or dad prayed over the food, but somewhere in the back of my mind does hover a child’s prayer: God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for this food. Amen. So maybe I’m just short on early memories.

My Catholic friends were encouraged to bow their heads and say a silent prayer, then end with the sign of the cross. Being a Protestant I joined them in bowed head and silent prayer, but was lost at the sign of the cross.

It does amaze me, however, that so many people simply dig into their food without so much as a two-second “God, I thank You for this food. Amen.”

Throughout my day I say “thank you” quite often. I’m polite to waiters and waitresses, store associates, bank tellers, and friends and family. I think it’s just as important to say “Thank You” to the God of the Universe who provided my food from the beginning.

If you haven't given it a thought lately, I hope you’ll join me. You don’t even have to bow your head, just say the words and mean them from your heart.