Itadakimasu!

And other ways of saying Grace

Itadakimasu! For some of us in my family and Nikkei circles, our hands come together in prayer pose when we say this before eating. For others, we exclaim this while seeing the food before us, hands wherever, appetites come alive.

Yes, as I was growing up, we did learn these other expressions of grace and thanksgiving before meals—

God is great, God is good, let us thank Him (!?!) for our food, Amen.

Rub-a-dub-dub, we give thanks for this grub!

In my intentionally Agnostic years, I remember an prayer I’d say to myself before I began to eat any food set before me—

Life to Life to Life.

This was shorthand for: 1-thank you Source of Life, and Lives given so I may be nourished; 2-may this bless this my Life; 3-may this bring Life to those around me).

Two of my friends, Mia and Barbara J, begin meals with the touch of fingertips-to-fingertips around and across the table. Silent loveliness, saying it all.

There are so many ways to give thanks for sustenance, aren’t there?

Today I’ve been able to dedicate time to writing down the names of each of you who’ve read, subscribed, shared, recommended, and/or made financial pledges to this work of irresistible calling. I paused with each of your names, and allowed itadakimasu to happen.

Itadakimasu means “I humbly receive.” And in Japanese Buddhism, it also means I give thanks to everything that went into this offering—if a meal—for the plants, animals, farmers, fishers, all laborers and labors . . . for the cosmos, the land, for my ancestors.

For you, I give thanks for your time, openness and willingness, your curious mind and responsive heart, your ancestors and evolutions, your dreams and abilities, your bodyspirit, your labors, loves and life.

Honestly, I was a bit of a mess after casting forth my first post! My nervous system was lit up with excitement, relief, anxiety, “vulnerability remorse” (thank you Brené Brown via Alison Luterman), and a delicious tiredness I only wanted more of.

And, I hadn’t thought about what amounts I’d request once I turned on the Paid Subscriptions feature; I wanted to stay focused on creating and casting forth. Then lo and behold, Substack apparently made suggestions of monetary amounts, of which I had no idea, that many of you opted into.

Mercy!

And, I didn’t realize Substack would email me each time someone became a New Subscriber of any kind.

Each gesture of connection has helped me to rise into Coming Through each morning, with a fully embodied sense of possibility and purpose. Each gesture has felt like a kind hand on my back saying, “Keep going, Coke.”

Grace. Quiet and breathtaking. You.

My hope is that itadakimasu is what you’ll get to experience too, with Coming Through. That you will feel somehow sustained and more possible, not just by me but by the ways Life is bringing us together and making this happen.

May your energetic and financial gifts feel met in mutuality, gift to gift to gift.

Two asks before closing:

• Yoo-Hoo! If you’ve been reading for Free and would like to now financially support my voice and my work, if you are able, this would be a great time. Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber (for me, more paid subscriptions => more time I can devote to my book project!)

• If you can briefly pause to sense who in your circles would benefit from Coming Through, will you please invite them to check out my Substack?

For today, my forehead is kissing the ground near your feet, filled with awe and feeling commissioned by community. This has always been my prayer.

Thank you and let’s do this!

Coke