On this Thanksgiving Day, I make this simple offering on the subject of gratitude. If your family takes time to speak words of appreciation as you sit around the Thanksgiving table, I invite you to use this meditation based on the Ten Commandments:
1. "I Adonai am your God…" I give my thanks for living in a world in which there is a divine purpose. Even when the specifics of my particular task are hidden from me or uncertain to me, I am grateful to know that there is a moral order and a cosmic design that makes life worth living and gives my life meaning.
2. "You shall not have other gods…" I give my thanks for a world without easy answers. God is a mystery to me and I am grateful for the ability to discover God's hidden presence in all that surrounds me. In all things, I am thankful for the possibility of discovering the living God.
3. "You shall not take the name of Adonai your God in vain..." I give my thanks for the opportunity to give praise to the source of my existence. Every day of my life is made more joyful by the simple act of singing out the name of Creation's God in gratitude and wonder.
4. "Remember the day of Shabbat…" I give my thanks for moments of rest, reflection and gathering with the people I love. My life is richer and my experience of living is more profound because of the gift of a day to lay down work, celebrate with others, and to ponder life's deeper meaning.
5. "Honor your father and mother…" I give my thanks for the parents who gave me life, cared for me with love, hoped for my future, and raised me with integrity. I owe my life to them.
6."You shall not murder." I give my thanks for the precious gift of life, a miracle without comparison.
7. "You shall not commit adultery." I give my thanks for the mystery and beauty of living life in an exclusive partnership. I am grateful for the love of my companion and for the opportunity we have to share our love mutually and in the deepest intimacy. I am thankful for the sanctity of this precious relationship.
8. "You shall not steal." I give my thanks for the the boundaries between myself and others. I am grateful for the ability to enjoy friendships and community without losing my identity and without the need to make others subservient to my will and desires. I am thankful for the opportunity to live a life of integrity.
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." I give my thanks for the miraculous gift of language and speech and for the opportunity to sanctify life through the words of my mouth. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my words as servants of truth.
10. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house…" I give my thanks for the people and things from which I am permitted to benefit. I am grateful for the ability to feel gratitude for all that I have and for the awareness of sufficiency in my life.
Other posts on this topic:
Ki Tavo: Gratitude in a Recession
1. "I Adonai am your God…" I give my thanks for living in a world in which there is a divine purpose. Even when the specifics of my particular task are hidden from me or uncertain to me, I am grateful to know that there is a moral order and a cosmic design that makes life worth living and gives my life meaning.
2. "You shall not have other gods…" I give my thanks for a world without easy answers. God is a mystery to me and I am grateful for the ability to discover God's hidden presence in all that surrounds me. In all things, I am thankful for the possibility of discovering the living God.
3. "You shall not take the name of Adonai your God in vain..." I give my thanks for the opportunity to give praise to the source of my existence. Every day of my life is made more joyful by the simple act of singing out the name of Creation's God in gratitude and wonder.
4. "Remember the day of Shabbat…" I give my thanks for moments of rest, reflection and gathering with the people I love. My life is richer and my experience of living is more profound because of the gift of a day to lay down work, celebrate with others, and to ponder life's deeper meaning.
5. "Honor your father and mother…" I give my thanks for the parents who gave me life, cared for me with love, hoped for my future, and raised me with integrity. I owe my life to them.
6."You shall not murder." I give my thanks for the precious gift of life, a miracle without comparison.
7. "You shall not commit adultery." I give my thanks for the mystery and beauty of living life in an exclusive partnership. I am grateful for the love of my companion and for the opportunity we have to share our love mutually and in the deepest intimacy. I am thankful for the sanctity of this precious relationship.
8. "You shall not steal." I give my thanks for the the boundaries between myself and others. I am grateful for the ability to enjoy friendships and community without losing my identity and without the need to make others subservient to my will and desires. I am thankful for the opportunity to live a life of integrity.
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." I give my thanks for the miraculous gift of language and speech and for the opportunity to sanctify life through the words of my mouth. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my words as servants of truth.
10. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house…" I give my thanks for the people and things from which I am permitted to benefit. I am grateful for the ability to feel gratitude for all that I have and for the awareness of sufficiency in my life.
Other posts on this topic:
Ki Tavo: Gratitude in a Recession
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