Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST,Rowan
Date: 24 Jul 06 - 06:35 PM

Some of the ones posted by MeganL would be known in Australia as "Toasts" rather than blessings or graces. I offer her one for her collection.

Here's to you, as good as you are!
And here's to me, as bad as I am!
And, as good as you are,
and, as bad as I am,
I'm as good as you are,
as bad as I am!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Megan L
Date: 24 Jul 06 - 06:54 PM

I love it Rowan thanks

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Jul 06 - 10:27 PM

Hey....the thread took off!!! Right ON!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Megan L
Date: 26 Jul 06 - 02:46 PM

Guid thochts
guid company
and guid ale
aw a man may need

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Jul 06 - 03:57 PM

HEY! This is a Blessings thread...start yer own Toasts thread!!!!
:)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: EBarnacle
Date: 26 Jul 06 - 08:43 PM

In Denmark during a visit in 1978, I picked up a small book of trad poetry. It included the following, which I translated from the Danish:

Here's to all the good folks who have enough to eat,
Here's to all the poor folks who haven't any meat;
Here's to all the lucky ones with no reason to complain
And we'll pray for sunshine on a cloudy day.

[can also be sung to "lille Peder Adderkop," also known as the "Inky Dinky Spider."

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST,Mary Katherine
Date: 26 Jul 06 - 08:48 PM

The funniest one I ever heard was from my then-14 year old son at a long ago Thanksgiving dinner, said with a perfectly straight face as if it was a grace before meals:

"Dear Lord, please don't let this be my real family. Amen."

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: John O'L
Date: 26 Jul 06 - 09:10 PM

From ghoulies and ghosties and long legged beasties and things that go bump in the night...
Good Lord preserve us

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Jul 06 - 11:06 PM

LOL....lovin it!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST,An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 27 Jul 06 - 10:37 AM

As a "toast" rather than a "Grace", I like this one:

"Here's to the Harp of Ireland, and may she never lack a string as long as there's a gut in the Peeler".

Just in case anyone doesn't already know this, "Peeler" is an old term for a policeman (from the politician, Robert Peel; whence also the fairly polite term "Bobbies").

For a "Grace", this one, "The Selkirk Grace" (often attributed to Robert Burns) is humorous and comprehensive:

"Some hae meat, and canna eat,
And some hae nane that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae, the Lord be thankit"

And one he really did make is witty:

"Oh Lord, since we hae feasted thus,
Which we so little merit,
May Jock nou tak awa the Flesh,
And Meg bring in the Spirit"

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Scoville
Date: 27 Jul 06 - 12:57 PM

We don't generally say grace at all but when pressed my mother trots out:

"[Lord] Bless this food to our use and us to thy service," which is about what the rest of us unbelievers can tolerate. Short, to the point, and not overbearing.





And we sing the Johnny Appleseed song at meeting before potluck. Mom hates it but the kids all like it and it doesn't offend anyone in a meeting where lots of people consider themselves to be in recovery from Southern Baptist and Catholic upbringings.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Emma B
Date: 27 Jul 06 - 01:17 PM

One from childhood often said with feeling by my mother

Thank the Lord for what we've had
If it had been a bit more we'd have been very glad
But, seeing as times are so very bad
Thank the Lord for what we've had

Sian I have a slightly different translation of the bardic recitation by R J Stewart

Grant, O Divine Being, thy Protection
And in Protection, Strength
And in Strength, Understanding
And in Understanding, Knowledge
And in Knowledge, the Knowledge of Justice
And in the Knowledge of Justice, the Love of Justice
And in that Love, the Love of all Beings
And in the Love of all Beings, The Love of Divine Being

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST,Chris Rowbury
Date: 30 Jul 06 - 10:48 AM

Saro

You mentioned "Blessed are we in the morning ..." as taught to you by Mary Eagle. I had the words for this already, but any idea where I can get hold of the tune?

Chris

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jul 06 - 04:13 PM

The Harvest
by Alice C. Henderson

The silver rain, the shining sun,
the fields where scarlet poppies run
and all the ripples of the wheat
are in the bread that I do eat.

So when I sit for every meal
and say a grace I always feel
that I am eating rain and sun
and fields where scarlet poppies run.

A Google search found a few postings of this only in some pdfs and docs -- some which might intrigue those interested in this topic -- and only once with this attribution.

When we sang it at (Quaker) camp the second line of the second stanza was:
"with thankful heart I always do feel"

We sang Johnny Appleseed in the second version posted above. My son has just come back from the same camps and they sing "Earth" instead of "Lord", now. But it's still said to be a rainmaking song.

We used to sing several different "Allelulia" rounds, and Hava Nashira, too.

Sometimes we were just silent.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Mr Fox
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 11:47 AM

"May you be in heaven a good half-hour before the Devil finds out that you're dead"

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST,Angela
Date: 16 Jul 10 - 05:58 PM

This is the one my cousin gave us when he came home one Thanksgiving from Lutheran Seminiary, he's a Bishop now.

"Good bread, good meat,
good God, let's eat."

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: GUEST,Angela
Date: 16 Jul 10 - 06:01 PM

This is the one we taught small children, especially groups of them. It's done in a sing-song way.

"Thank you, thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, thank you, Jesus.

Thank you, thank you, Jesus,
For the food,

Amen!"

Subject: RE: Folklore: Favorite Blessings/Graces
From: Joe_F
Date: 16 Jul 10 - 08:58 PM

The traditional Jewish graces at table are:

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who bringest forth bread from the earth.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who createst
the fruit of the vine.