Thanksgiving and Being Grateful for Your Spouse's "MEQ"

Thanksgiving is almost upon us.  Here is a prayer of thanks we used with a group of couples we recently hosted for dinner.  We thought you might find it useful, especially at this time of year.

We Give Thanks

Our Father in Heaven,

We give thanks for the pleasure

Of gathering together for this occasion.

We give thanks for this food

Prepared by loving hands.

We give thanks for life,

The freedom to enjoy it all

And all other blessings.

As we partake of this food,

We pray for health and strength

To carry on and try to live as You would have us.

This we ask in the name of Christ,

Our Heavenly Father.

- Harry Jewell

In this month's "St. Louis Java Journal", author Phyllis Clay Sparks writes, "Rather than letting the good in our lives inspire happy feelings and gratitude in every present moment, more often than not we notice what's missing, what isn't working, and what we don't have.  We tend to worry about losing what we have and what the future might hold.  It's vitally important for our happiness that we get in the habit of noticing the blessings in life everyday." 

We get the St. Louis Java Journal at our local Einstein Bagel where, around 7:30 a.m. on just about any Saturday morning, you can find us enjoying an egg sandwich, a cup of coffee or juice, and conversation with Bob and Marge, a couple married for over 65 years, who we met there at Einstein's a few years ago.  Talk about counting your blessings and being grateful for them!  Being grateful and giving thanks is an important aspect of simply 'being' in this life. 

 

Here's something you might try as a couple (it will only take about 5 minutes).  Each day think of your spouse's "Most Endearing Quality" (MEQ) for that day.  An MEQ might be as simple as their smile, a helping hand they lent to you or a self-sacrifice they made for another person, or their thoughtfulness in the loving words of support they gave you when you needed a boost most of all. 

Be aware of how grateful you are for their MEQ.  Then share their MEQ with them and ask them how it makes them feel when you do.  You might even try writing this MEQ and your feeling down before sharing it with one another. 

Talk this over with God and see what He says.  We hope He guides you to give it a try someday.  We think you will be pleased with the results.

 

In the meantime, with a strong feeling of gratitude for each of you, allow us to wish all our Vibrant Catholic Marriages blog readers and their families and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving!

God loves you (and so do we),

David & Linda