Before you eat, give thanks

We almost always eat in a hurry, with the TV on or looking at our phones. And yet an ordinary plate holds a lot of other people's work: whoever grew it, whoever transported it, whoever cooked it. And behind it all is God, whom we ask each day for our bread. Saying grace is acknowledging that in a few seconds. You don't need a long formula: "Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts," a sign of the cross, or a silent thank-you. It doesn't turn the meal into a strange ritual; it turns it into a gift received. With your family, it teaches without speeches. Alone, at work or in a restaurant, it reminds you that you aren't alone there either. And whoever gives thanks for what they have more easily remembers those who don't have it.