Powerful Ways to Give Gratitude for Food at Thanksgiving and Beyond

There are  many ways to give thanks for our food. Any sincere expression of gratitude will slow us down enough to connect with the sacred. Most cultures and religions have a way to express thanks for what is about to be eaten. Holding a deep connection to the earth🌍, Native Americans honor the exchange of life in regard to food. They ask the spirit that dwells in the living food - whether animal or plant - for permission to take its life. They then give thanks to the Spirit for its willingness to sacrifice its own life for their benefit and sometimes make an offering of corn or tobacco, for example, in exchange for this sacrifice. Such an act acknowledges that something has been given and received 🔁 on both sides. 

Anyone who eats food that has been prepared for him or her can be equally present to this exchange of life. Many recite a prayer 🙏 from a spiritual text, while others speak freely from the heart ❤️. Others may practice gratitude through silence. If the expression is sincere, the offering will be effective. 

For many years now, I have been writing daily in my gratitude journal 📘. Usually doing so within the first two hours of waking up, it is my favorite way to start the day. You can use any type of journal you like. Introduced to me by my dear friend, Lori, I like to use The Secret Gratitude Book by Rhonda Byrne because it has a format in which you write down the things that you have already received on the left side and the things you desire/want/need but have not yet received on the right side.

It’s so much fun to witness over time how the things that you wrote down ✍🏼on the right side do, indeed, manifest, thereby leading you to record them ✍🏼on the left side. The trick is to express your gratitude in the present tense, whether you have already received the things you want, or not. This is because the law of attraction doesn’t differentiate between past, present, and future. Rather, energy responds to our vibration. So, if you write the things you want as being in the future, they will remain in the future. Instead, express thanksgiving in the present as if you have already received what you need or desire. 


Expressing Gratitude for Our Food   Thanksgiving invites us to express gratitude 🙏for our food. Because most of us eat at least several times a day 🍑🥗🌯, food can be our greatest reminder to give gratitude not just around the banquet table, but each and every day. After all, given that we are dependent upon it for life, doesn't it deserve our constant appreciation? Still, we can use this time to strengthen our practice of giving gratitude for food.

Indeed, the universe has gifted us with a bountiful supply of beautiful food. By offering gratitude for our food, we are acknowledging that it did not just appear out of thin air but was produced from the earth🌏and the people who planted, nurtured, and harvested it. Gratitude cultivates seeds of compassion that will strengthen us to do something to nourish others, and helps us to pause long enough to recall the reasons why we value food. 

Following are some food-related examples of how to express gratitude for things that you already have now and things that you intend to have. Note that the language is the same for both. It’s pretty remarkable to experience the law of attraction at work through this simple exercise. 

GRATITUDE NOW:

• I am grateful that I have access to organic food choices 🛒🍐🍊🍋🍈🍓.
• I am thankful for the new vegan restaurant that just opened up in my area. 
• I am grateful to be increasingly inclined to choose plant-based meals when eating out.
• I am grateful to experience better immune health since taking JuicePlus+.
• I am grateful that my son wants to take a cooking course🥣with his girlfriend  💏. 
• I am thankful that I am learning about optimal nutrition.

GRATITUDE INTENTIONS:

• I am grateful to have lost 10 pounds.
• I am thankful to have an increased desire for vegetables 🍆🥬🥒🌶🌽.
• Thank you for sending me new easy vegan recipes to share with my family.
• I am grateful to have started a garden in my backyard.
• I am grateful to be using TowerGarden to grow greens 🥬 for my family. 
• Thank you for having me host an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. 

This last intention would most likely be written in the GRATITUDE NOW section after Thanksgiving:

• Thank you for me being able to host an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. 

I would love to hear how you express gratitude! Please share your expression on my ImperfectlyVegan FaceBook Page.

BONUS: Using a gratitude journal is also a good way to keep memory of your life. I haven’t developed the discipline to keep a classic journal, but my gratitude journal offers up some level of recorded events. Give it a go and let me know how things are moving forward in your life.

With sincere gratitude for YOU,

Lisa  

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