A Mealtime Prayer

In our family, as Catholics, we followed the traditional Catholic prayer before a meal:



Bless us oh Lord
And these thy gifts
Which we are about to receive
From They bounty.
Through Christ, Our Lord,
Amen

When I had a family of my own, I didn't want anything traditionally Catholic. And this mealtime prayer? Well it was a rote prayer that we memorized. We said it so often it became just words, no meaning. My husband and I wanted something more personal done before each meal. A lot of times there was repetition, but we tried to bring in thanksgiving for a variety of different things. However, there was a point that I felt like my husband was doing his devotional prayer at the dinner time....his prayers would seem to go on and on while the food was getting cold. At that point, a memorized, traditional prayer would have been nice. (tongue in cheek)

Another thing about a memorized, traditional prayer.....I still know it. I can say it and I love that I still know it. I wish I had instituted more memorization of thanksgiving for what the Lord had done for us. Something our kids could fall back on when things get tough. It might be too late for my kids, but I think I need to bring more memorization into my walk with the Lord. Not just prayer, but pieces of scripture. I'm not one for New Year Resolutions but maybe this can be a goal for the new year. 

Blessings,
Mary


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