Wellness Wednesday
Blessing your meal brings your attention to the moment.
I grew up having dinner every night around the table with my parents and sisters. We had a main meal; foods like flank steak, Chicken Cacciatore, roasted chicken with corn and broccoli… and always a big garden salad afterwards with black olives and in the summertime what ever came from the garden…plates of sliced tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers…
It’s interesting to think back on all the dishes we ate together around the big long wooden table in our dining room… Although I grew up in an Italian family…except for the occasional spaghetti & clams or spaghetti & meatballs our dishes centered-around meat…we only ate pasta at my grandmothers house on Sundays.
Back to why I am writing this …it’s not about the food, (although its always about the food for me)… It’s about the prayer before the meal.
We said 'grace' before each meal. It was a healthy habit. We could not just sit down and start eating all the delicious food staring at us…we had to wait until everyone was seated, say grace, and then we could start passing the mashed potatoes.
Prayer can be for everyone. It isn’t just a “church thing.” Saying a prayer is saying Thank You. It is to celebrate the good food you are about to eat.
When I say a pre-meal blessing , a grace, I give thanks to the farmers who grow the food, to the sun, the rain, the soil, the birds, nature, all that is… However or what ever you believe it is important to bless your food.
Here’s what happens when you bless your food.
Saying a prayer or blessing your food before a meal brings your attention to the moment of eating. Not only does it recognize the farmers and the land on the outside, the attention prepares your physiological body to digest the meal by increasing salivation and digestion enzymes.
It also brings awareness to your food and you may enjoy the taste and texture of food more fully.
In some traditions people pray in thankfulness after they have eaten their meal. Which ever is your method, or your religious or spiritual preference it is important to pray, from the heart, to have a moment of gratitude for the precious food we are all so fortunate to eat.
Close your eyes, hold hands, take a breath, think about the farmers who grow, the land the holds the seed, how fortunate you are to be eating at a table whether you are alone, with family or with friends.
If you are reading this I'm pretty sure you are blessed with abundance all around you.
Enjoy each bite with vigor and delight and say “Thank You.”
Whats new this week on Wellness Wednesday… download & print this delicious Chicken Cacciatore recipe, drop into a Friday morning meditation class or schedule your massage.
Blue Hill Healing 207.266.9274 bluehillhealing@gmail.com