Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894-September 3, 1962), better known as e.e. cummings, was raised Unitarian, and wrote what has become my favorite prayer, among many other wonderful poems.

i thank You God for most this amazing. . .

by e.e. cummings

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Source: “i thank You God for most this amazing. . .” by e.e. cummings, as printed by plagiarist.com.

Coming out of winter can sometimes feel like coming out of hibernation. As spring grows, it doesn’t take quite as much effort, or at least bundling up, to get out of the house and connect with others. Rev. Max Coots, minister emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, New York, reminds us of the importance of these connections:

Garden Meditations

by Rev. Max Coots

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people.

For children who are our second planting, and though they
grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may
they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where
their roots are.

Let us give thanks;

For generous friends…with hearts…and smiles as bright
as their blossoms;

For feisty friends, as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers,
keep reminding us that we’ve had them;

For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and
as elegant as a row of corn, and the others, as plain as
potatoes and so good for you;

For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and
as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;

And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle
as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as
dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips, can be
counted on to see you through the winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time,
and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold
us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past
that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that
we might have life thereafter.

For all these we give thanks.

Source: “Garden Meditations” by Rev. Max Coots, minister emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, New York, as quoted on Patchwork Reflections.

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, here is a lovely sermon by the Rev. Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, who serves Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado as the Minister of Social Responsibility, about saying “grace,” on special occasions and as an every day practice.

For consideration: Do you say grace before meals? Is this a meaningful practice for you?

Saying Grace

Nathan Woodliff-Stanley

Have you ever had the experience of sitting down to a meal with relatives or friends or some other group of people, and without advance warning, being asked to say grace? It may be something you do routinely–not a big deal–or the very thought might strike terror in your heart. I can assure you that it happens more often to ministers, especially at times like Thanksgiving, and it pays to be prepared. But I’ve still had my share of stumbles, and it can be disconcerting for anyone to be put on the spot unexpectedly. There is real value in spontaneous prayer, but being asked to say grace without warning can be especially awkward if you are someone who doesn’t normally say grace before meals, if you don’t know what the group expects, or if all you can think of are childhood formulas for saying grace that no longer fit your beliefs. I can imagine someone who is agnostic trying to pray as honestly as possible:

“Dear God, if there is a God, we thank you for this food, to whatever extent you were responsible for it. We ask for your blessings upon us, if that isn’t too presumptuous and if you really do specially bless people, and all this we pray in your holy name, whatever that might be.”

(Read on … )