Next Time You Get Stuck Having to Say Grace...

 Workers Grace

If you’re tired of religious ‘graces’ before a meal, here is one that is secular and pro-labor, starting with a simple part my Ma used to say. Why it is called a ‘grace’ is beyond me.  Anyone can adapt the idea of course.

The Workers’ Grace

For this Food which We are About to Receive, Let us be Duly Thankful …

To the farmers and farm workers who seeded the crops,

To the sun, rain and soil which grew the food,

To the farm workers who harvested it,

To the production workers who processed it,

To the truck drivers and teamsters who transported it,

To the wholesale and retail workers who organized it,

To the family members who worked to buy it,

To the family members who grew it,

To the family members who cooked it.

 And …

To the mechanics who built the machinery and tools,

To the auto workers who built the vehicles,

To the construction workers who built the stores,

To the metal workers who built the appliances,

To the steel and ceramic workers who made the plates, knives and forks,

To the woodworkers who made the dinner table and chairs,

To the clothing workers who made our clothes,

To the nurses and doctors who keep us healthy enough to eat,

To the teachers who helped us gain knowledge,

To the construction workers who built our housing.

 And …

To the earth for providing the minerals,

To the miners who dug the soil,

To the trees which provided the table and chairs,

To the lumberjacks and mill workers who cut the wood,

To the power plant workers who keep the lights on,

To the earth for providing the seeds,

To the bugs, bees, birds, bacteria and worms for fertilization,

To the air for… well, the rest.

 And …

To 'Saint' Karl. 

For, as he said in the Critique of the Gotha Programme,

Labor and Nature are the sources of all wealth.

Let’s eat!

Red Frog

January 31, 2021