How to Say Grace

Some people say grace every night, others only before seminal holiday meals. If you've forgotten how to say a traditional grace, here's some help.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Buddhist Prayer Books
• Siddurim (Jewish Prayer Books)
• Islamic Prayer Books

1. Figure out how you want to say grace. Do you want to sit individually and bow your head, stand up behind your chairs and hold hands, or stay seated and hold hands? Consider that those who don't share your religious beliefs may not want to engage in the activity.

2. Acknowledge different faiths present in your gathering. You might use a grace from your own faith but give additional thanks that your friends and loved ones from different backgrounds are present.

3. Decide who will lead the family and any guests in saying grace. Traditionally, the head of the family takes the lead, but it is often a nice touch to have a child take the lead. If a clergy member is present, he or she should be asked to say grace.

4. Consider how lengthy the grace should be. Are there a lot of children present? They may fidget during a very long grace.

5. Think about the ideas and events you want to address in your grace. Have family members traveled a long way to be at the meal? Have obstacles been overcome in the past year? Have joyous occasions marked the year?

6. To make it easy on yourself, begin (or begin and end) with a standard grace. For example, if you want to acknowledge the bountiful feast and profess your faith in a higher being at the same time, you might say this old Christian prayer: "Be present at our table, Lord; be here, and everywhere adored; Thy mercies bless and grant that we may feast in fellowship with Thee. Amen." Or the classic: "Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."