Lenten Practice #6: Eating With Gratitude

“Choose one meal a day (or more) to eat without any distractions (phone, t.v., computer, etc.) Before beginning to eat, breathe deeply for a few minutes, look at the meal laid out before you, and thank the Source of all life for this provision. Then with each bite, thank something/someone else who has helped to bring you this food.

With your first bite, you might start with thanking the earth itself. Then with the next, you might thank the soil, then the minerals, the water, the seeds, the plants and of course the animals, if you are eating meat. With each bite, give thanks to another element. Remember the human beings who helped as well – the farm worker, the truck driver, the seller at the farmers market, the grocery stock-person, etc.

Slowly chew each bite, savor the tastes and texture. Put your fork down between bites. At the end of the meal, breathe deeply again and say thank you to all of the natural elements, creatures, people and enlivening Spirit that have brought this meal to you.”

This practice comes from the Center for Spirituality in Nature. Along with this practice, we encourage you to read or watch Ava’s story: “Food, Faith, and Frozen Meals.”