Meal Prayer

Several times a day I check out the activity at the bird feeder to see which birds are showing up today. It is always a guessing game: Will it be the several cardinal pairs, the rufous-sided towhee, the various sparrows and finches, the mourning dove, the red-bellied woodpecker or all of the above? Whoever does arrive during the morning, there is always a frenetic dance searching out the seed I throw on the ground or place in the feeder.

This morning, all was very different. Instead of the activity I was expecting, there were only four mourning doves on the ground beneath the feeder. Instead of pecking around, they were standing perfectly still, no ruffling of feathers or cocking of heads. They stayed like that for several minutes. It was as though they were engaged in a silent prayer of thanksgiving before they began to look for seeds.

I often think of them during the day and pray that I may never take a meal for granted, and always remember to thank our gentle and generous God for whatever will be on my literal and figurative plate, knowing Whose I am.

– Blog entry by Sister Joyce Lehman