Day 14. Feasting in Gratitude, Food as Relationship.
To feast is to give thanks. Indigenous feasts are not just celebrations, they are ceremonies of reciprocity. Each dish honors the hands that grew, gathered, and prepared it, as well as the earth that offered it. Gratitude, in this sense, is not a feeling, it is a practice of relationship.
In many communities, harvest feasts begin with prayer to the land, ancestors, and unseen beings who sustain life. The act of eating together reaffirms kinship and equality; everyone has a place at the table.
As Unitarian Universalists, when we share food in fellowship or community service, we, too, participate in this sacred exchange. Gratitude becomes justice when it calls us to ensure that all are fed, not only with bread, but with belonging.
“When we eat together, we remember that the Earth feeds us all.” – Winona LaDuke, Environmentalist and Writer
Reflection: How might you turn gratitude into action for food justice and sustainability?
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