When we eat together it’s a custom for us to pray before we eat.  I don’t technically bless food.  I think Someone else does that.  For me and for us in my house, praying is a way of giving thanks for what we have.

When I pray, I usually say something like, “Thank you, God, for this food and for every hand that brought it to us.”  Sometimes I pause to quickly consider just how many people touched what’s on our table.  It takes a lot of people to bring us some of things we eat.  Either way, I believe prayers of thanksgiving for food should be brief.  I also believe we should offer new prayers for desserts, but that’s another post.

For fun, we’ve been giving Bryce the chance to choose who he thinks should pray.  We’ve done this at his bed time as well. Usually he picks mommy.  I think he likes her prayers more than mine.  I’m fine with that!  I pray a lot in my work.

Three weeks ago, Bryce said that he would pray.  And he did.  It was the most delightful moment for me and Dawn.  She was near tears.  I carried a smile as wide as the table.  He bowed his head and followed the normal course of things.  He thanked God for his cornbread, his juice, and whatever else we were eating that night.

I never want to forget that.