My Thanksgiving Prayer

by Mia Cope

Next week is my first Thanksgiving with Momma and Daddy. Thanksgiving is a very special occasion and I want to do my part. I did research, including watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Apple TV+. To be perfectly honest, that’s the only research I did. And I sort of fell asleep before it was over. But I’m assuming that it follows classic storylines with good intentions, some tragedy, and then a thought-provoking and tender ending.

Okay, to be absolutely honest, I fell asleep during the first couple of minutes and everything I know about the movie is from the trailer. So, all I really know is that Snoopy was put in charge of Thanksgiving dinner. Since, that’s all I had, I took the idea to Momma.

In the sweetest, most loving tone she said, “Absolutely not!” She may have raised her voice just a little. That’s understandable since she has to increase her volume all the time because Daddy is hard of hearing. In fact as she spoke, rather loudly, I could hear Daddy from his study yelling, “What?!”

Momma and I sat down and I asked her what I could do. Momma said I could say a Thanksgiving prayer. She even suggested a few things to start me off.

She wanted Thanksgiving prayers for a new refrigerator. We actually don’t have one right now, but we hope that the new one will be here this morning.¹ In the meantime, Momma is refrigerating all of the food she bought for Thanksgiving in a bunch of coolers with ice in them. I’m in charge of guarding them. I like that because occasionally, when one gets opened, I get a piece of ice.

Daddy is in charge of keeping ice in them. He is actually good at that. He’s already been to the store four times in the last couple of days to get more ice. He is not always this helpful but he owes Momma a big favor. She moved all of the frozen things to our other freezer. Unfortunately, all of the ice cream was lost. But she saved Daddy’s Chocolate Mint Yasso bars. Daddy ate one at dinner tonight. It was kind of weird shaped. Daddy says that happens when they melt and then get refrozen. You could tell by the look on his face that he was very grateful.

Momma told me that I should come up with the rest of my thanks ideas on my own. And she suggested that I write out my prayer.

Dear God,
This is Mia.
I know you haven't seen me in church, but I know you’ve seen me around . . . since you’re God and everything. Just in case I haven’t made a big impression, I’m the new dog at Momma and Daddy’s house. And the General Manager and Chief Security Officer. That last thing isn’t important because Momma says what counts is that I’m a really grateful puppy dog. And I am. If you need references, you can ask Togo about me. He lives up there with you now. Togo was the one who sent me to live here. He was the one who prayed to you at every meal. I know I should, too. I’ll work on it.
And now my thanksgivings.
Momma and Daddy and I are all thankful for our new refrigerator. It was supposed to be here last night. But the one they sent was damaged and had to go back home with the installer guys. Thank you for the new one. (I’m breaking the thanksgiving prayer format.) Please let it come this morning and not be broken.
Thank you for letting me be rescued from the animal shelter. And thanks for the kindnesses that were shown me there when I was lost.
Thank you for my stuffed animals — Monkey, Marina, the Seahorse, and the as-yet-to-be-named squeaky toy that is green and has little horns.
Thank you for the walking trails that the nearby university built just for me (according to Daddy who claims to know everything about the university).
Thanks for my nice backyard and for all of the shrubs and trees and nice grass. I would thank you for the acorns, but I have been forbidden to eat them or even think about them.
Thank you for little children and college students who want to meet me.
Thanks for kitty kats and especially those who don’t look at me with the stink-eye.
Thanks for my neighbors, Millie and Murphy. Thanks, too, for making Millie fast and that she likes to run up and down the fence with me.
Thank you for those spongy dental chews. I like them a lot and I remind Daddy every night when it’s time to give me one.
Thank you for Daddy. He needs a little work. Momma says that’s an unlisted part of my job description but that it might be my most important responsibility.
Thank you for Momma. She’s absolutely the best human in the world. And not just because she sneaks food from her plate to me, and makes me scrambled eggs and frozen yogurt and banana treats. She’s the best because I think she loves the most. Not just me. Everybody. Even Daddy.
Thanks for my brothers, Jeremy and Justin. And my niece, Miss Belle, and my nephew, Sir Henry.
Thank you for all the family members who will come from near and far. Thanks in advance for safe travel, an absence of political conversation, and for helping us remember that many people don’t have as much to be thankful for. And that makes us sad.
Thank you for places where there is peace. And thank you for all those who want peace where there isn’t any and who are praying and working for peace right now.
We are all very grateful.
With warmest regards,
Mia

Monkey and Marina proofread this for me. I’m not sure the unnamed one can read. But he did squeak his approval when I squeezed.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

1. Our old refrigerator, after serving faithfully for 23 years, stopped being cool several days ago. We will miss him. He let me call him “Fridge.”