thanks loads

having food is a gift. in the usa, many of us can take the food on our tables for granted.

in more formal settings, christians often share a prayer before meals. i have experienced dinners where i thought that the food might become cold before the prayer ends! usually, grace before meals is not that long though and can be often wonderfully personalized.

at the opposite end are very brief prayers before a meal. oftentimes, we use brief prayers when we are on the go, in a hurry or maybe just remember at the last second that we forgot to give thanks. my personal favorite is the latin, deo gratias (thanks be to God). a classic quote from meister eckhart is: “if the only prayer you said was ‘thank you’, that would be enough”

recently, i learned a new, quick two word prayer: thanks, loads

last week, i sat with the family of bob moffat to plan his funeral mass. as they shared various stories of his life, the room was filled with a warmth fueled by gratitude and laughter. bob, through the example of his life, wanted to instill– especially in his five sons– gratitude for all things in all situations. bob had a quick, two word grace for “on the run” meals that i had never heard before: thanks loads

thanks loads

there is a certain casualness about these two words that i like. it assumes that we know the source of our gratitude for the meal. and the use of “loads” points to a familiarity among friends. the economy of words is a knowing nod of gratitude.

thanks loads

for the blessing of the food at the reception after the funeral mass, you do not have to guess what my two word prayer was.

in our faith, grace flows from thankful hearts. at bob’s funeral yesterday, there was grace in abundance. the moffat family chose the following gospel from john 14 reading for yesterday’s mass:

“ (Jesus said), Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where [I] am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

i believe in jesus’ promises. so when i hear the words, “do not let your hearts be troubled”, i savor them at the core of my being. this is love that is gift. i pray the graces of a healed heart for bob’s wife of 64 years barbara. it is difficult for me to imagine how losing a soulmate spouse feels. the decades of shared love is now changed forever.

i pray for jesus’ peace for bob’s sons, grandchildren and other family members as well. may the Spirit grace them with blessed memories of a loving father, grandfather, relative and friend. this soul was given to us by God as gift.

for the gift of bob moffat, thanks loads

for the gift of life, thanks loads

for the gift of faith, thanks loads