We Give Thanks for Being

“We give thanks for being. We give thanks for being here. We give thanks for being here together.”

These three simple lines make up one of the first prayers taught to young children in my church. The immediacy and openheartedness in these words is also beloved by many adults, calling them out of their daily worries and distractions and into conscious presence. There’s no solemn invocation or flowery language here. Instead, the prayer gets right to the point, weaving thankfulness, community and covenant together into something you can slip into your pocket and carry around with you all day long. If you ask me, that’s a pretty decent foundation for a solid gratitude practice and a contemplative life.

Because I composed this piece for my own congregation in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic, I thought a great deal about what it means to be “together.” I suspected that many congregants would not be able to attend the song’s live, in-person premiere. That’s why the final measures consist of unsynchronized individual voices, affirming community with one another despite being separated by time and space.

As you sing this song’s final measures, listen deeply and fully. Find your own rhythm, pitches and inflection. Revel in the rich collage of voices all around you. Look up and connect with someone else through a lifted gaze, a generous thought, or a meaningful touch.

-Elizabeth Alexander