Our gracious Father. Thank you for this glorious day…

She looked around the room and saw the bowed heads and joined hands. She smiled.
Thank you for the miracle for birth, for providing us with the laughter and smiles of children…

She spotted two little cousins across the table, trying hard not to squirm. They weren't succeeding.

Thank you for the opportunities you have provided for us—for education to enrich our minds, for travel to broaden our view of the world…

The teenagers were interspersed throughout the table, forced to sit with their respective families, obviously against their will. Eyes closed in partial acquiescence, arms folded across their chest in partial rebellion.

Thank you for food, for the nourishment you provide for our bodies every day…

The aunt next to her sat quietly, solemnly. Yet every so often during the increasingly drawn-out prayer, she would steal a glance at the steaming dishes on the table.

Thank you for family, especially for the newest member of our family, Maggie. We're so glad she could share this day with us…

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, feeling the eyes of the entire family move to her.

Thank you for love and life, for family and memories, and for this wonderfully, utterly, absolutely…

The whole family was squirming now.

…spectacularly, fabulously…

He paused. Everyone held their breath.

Scrumptious meal.

"Amen!" The prayer ended with a shout, and the temporary silence ended just as abruptly as it had begun. "Dig in!" someone shouted. And they did. More...