We Give Thanks For Much More Than Food

All of us here at The Leo House are thankful for our many visitors, our wonderful staff and our community. It is in this festive spirit that we would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. While we may not be able to toast together in person, at least we can share some of our favorite Thanksgiving Prayers and Blessings. You can read them your own, or maybe you’d like to share them at your table during this special meal with friends and loved ones. As always, we extend our warmest welcome you to your home-away-from-home at The Leo House in NYC and hope to see you soon!

A Note on Spreading Love

This time of year always tends to bring about a contemplative spirit where we reflect on the year (or years) past and think about the generosity, kindness and unconditional love that exists in the world today. Even though it may not always be so clear, there is a lot of love in the world. All it takes is special people like you to spread that love, even if it is through gestures as simple as smiling at your neighbor or calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Help us #spreadthelove this season with simple loving gestures.

Hold onto the Spirit of Gratitude

As we look forward to feasting with loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday, let us keep fresh in our hearts the spirit of gratitude. Reflect on your blessings and enjoy the excitement of the holidays, but hold onto meaningfulness of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thanksgiving Prayers and Blessings

God of inclusive love, kindness and compassion,
we thank you for the gift of life:
for the wonder of the universe from which we’ve evolved,
and for the plants and animals of Earth that nourish and sustain us,
and for the love of our parents and grandparents without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the gift of relationships:
for families who love us and journey with us in all seasons of our life,
the friends who love us by choice,
for companions at work who share our burdens and daily tasks,
and strangers who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding,
and children who lighten our moments with delight,
for the unborn who offer us hope for the future,
and for our country and its women and men of different cultures whose lives,
service, work and inspiration have contributed to the betterment of our land.

Faithful and loving God, help us to share your graciousness,
your abundant generosity and your hospitality with all,
especially those who need a touch of tender and generous love. Amen.

– Vienna Cobb Anderson

Thanksgiving Recipe

Finally, here is a crowd-pleasing recipe for Cranberry Casserole. You can reduce the sugar in the recipe to 3/4 cup and it’s still extremely delicious. Without further ado, we hope you have enjoyed our Thanksgiving Prayers and Blessings and we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!