| December 11, 2003 - Amanda's Blessing My daughter composed and said the blessing before our Thanksgiving meal this year. My daughter is 5 years old. For those of you who read this, and suspect I steered Amanda in any poetic direction, let me go on record now that my contribution to Amanda's prayer consisted of three questions: "What (else) are you thankful for?" (repeated several times) and "You've already used the word 'pretty' twice. What else can you say about rainbows?" and of course "Should we say something about the dinner Grandma made for us?" Now that we have the introduction out of the way, here's what Amanda wrote: Thanksgiving Prayer Dear God, I'm thankful for my family because they love me and I love them. I like colors because they're pretty. I'm thankful for clothing because they keep us warm. I like the sky because it makes stuff pretty. I am thankful the sun because it gives us light. I'm thankful for rainbows because they are made out of rain and rain makes things grow. I'm thankful for our food because if we eat food we will grow. I'd love to claim I suggested the varying line beginnings. I'd be thrilled to tell you I had a hand in connecting rain and food through the word "grow". I'd even claim partial ownership if I'd just transcribed for her - taken her dictation and wrote the prayer out myself. But I didn't even do that. I didn't even have to clarify any spellings for her. How amazing what can happen when you tap into the wonder and grace (no pun intended) of a 5-year-old's world -- and then shut down your filter and let it wash over you. There's a great power and beauty in simplicity, but sometimes we need help to turn off our need to be sophisticated (a particular issue for those who want to write, I'm afraid), and let joy be joy - let thanks just be thanks. And so I admit: I wanted to add something profound at the end of Amanda's prayer. It's good that I didn't: what could I possibly have added? After this original prayer, Amanda led us in the "Thank Yous" - something her kindergarten class says before eating lunch: Thank you for the world so sweet. Thank you for this food to eat. Thank you for everything great and small. Thank you, thank you thank you. No, Amanda. Thank you. David Vincenti Advisor, Center for the Performing Arts at DeBaun Auditorium www.debaun.org; www.davidvincenti.com
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