Spirit of all gifts and grace,
We are not ungrateful – not all the time.
We know that life is a precious gift. Though we would
appear at times to squander it, remember the ways we
do not:
When we are happy, accept our joy as gratitude for all
opportunities, accepted and ignored.
When we are broken, accept our tears and anger as gratitude
for feeling deeply.
When we reach out to others, accept our compassion as
gratitude for conscience and compassion.
When we choose solitude, accept our silence as gratitude for
the deepness of spirit we are seeking.
When we act thoughtlessly, accept our mistakes as gratitude
for the freedom we have in our lives.
When we act foolishly, accept our lapses as gratitude for the lessons we have yet to learn.
When we share our stories, accept the telling of our lives as
gratitude for community and family.
When we worship, accept our ritual mumblings as symbols
of gratitude for all they represent.
Spirit of Thanksgiving, when we remember to give thanks for life and love,
for knowledge and wisdom,
for freedom to act and for freedom from oppression,
accept our obvious omissions as unspoken gratitude for suffering that brings us compassion,
for sorrow that helps us grow,
for disappointment that gives us determination,
for illness that offers healing,
and for death that makes way for new cycles of life and creation.
Amen.