The Philmont Grace

The Philmont Grace

For food, for raiment,

For life, for opportunity,

For friendship and fellowship,

We thank thee, O Lord. Amen.

Growing up a Boy Scout, I'm incredibly familiar with the Philmont Grace. It's often said before meals at scout campouts, large and small -- it's a favorite because it's short and has a memorable rhythm when recited. You can cut to the chase and eat quickly.

Per the name, it's canonized as the default grace at the Philmont Scout Ranch. I only went to Philmont once, but hearing it said every day by clusters of scouts ranging from a handful on the trails to hundreds at a base camp dinner doesn't leave your memory quickly.

Philmont, for those who don't know, is much more than a scout camp. It's the "Disneyland meets the UN" of scout camps. It's a big deal, exceptionally maintained, and the absolute flagship of youth outdoorsmanship. Going into why this is would merit an entirely separate post, but the point is: anything with "Philmont" in it was way cooler to do. Even saying grace.

So, this combination of shortness, the somewhat spartan memorable rhythm, and the extreme "so dorky it's not" coolness within scouts meant that it's likely the prayer I've said the most in my life. Not The Lord's Prayer or The Doxology or The Apostles Creed (I'm United Methodist, so that's about it for universal chants). A no-frills Boy Scout grace.

However, after I aged out of scouts, I stopped saying it, except maybe as a novelty trick with other former scouts as a party to freak people out about our poetic, just barely authoritarian, memorized mantras. Since stopping regularly using it, I forgot some of the details, however sparse they are ("raiment" is not in my everyday vocabulary). In truth, I never really studied it, as I picked it up by chanting it right before mealtimes when hungry with my fellow scouts.

I had a moment recently where I looked the words back up, and like most things that were a part of your childhood, they hit me differently as a near-middle-aged dad than they did as an early or late teen. What struck me was the distillation of what's essential in life. What we're actually giving thanks for.

Instead of giving thanks for macho things like strength, skill, prowess, or waxing poetically about miles hiked and mountains climbed (Philmont is the foremost scout backpacking experience, after all), it's gratitude for the most essential parts of life. The things that bind us all together. The things that are just as necessary now as they were centuries ago.

Food, protective clothing, life, opportunity, friendship, fellowship.

Not even shelter, though the backpacking context explains that decision. No witty things that you would typically see in camp chants about strong legs or sore shoulders. Nothing about conquering the outdoors. The things that are the purely distilled needs for a fulfilled human existence. Food, relationships, and clothing to protect one's physical health. Opportunities to grow, learn, experience. Deep friendships and lasting relationships.

There's also something about the understated nature of the gratitude to the higher power. I think that’s due to the designed simplicity of the prayer and the focus on the essentials, but I still appreciate that it's not long-winded or overblown. It's also applicable to nearly every faith, to my knowledge. It doesn't name-drop or allude to specific deities, though "lord" is a Christian-coded word. It's not a stretch that this could apply to any other faith, or even no faith, which I assume is also by design.

I’m writing this post in the gap between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s a time when there’s not much happening, and it lends itself to long periods of reflection. Sometimes, painful periods. However, the reflections are occasionally hopeful. When I think about this grace and the possibility of passing it down to my kids, it gives me a hopeful feeling. A hope that they’ll learn the essential parts of life and how to be deeply grateful for them long after I’m gone.

The Philmont Grace

For food, for raiment,

For life, for opportunity,

For friendship and fellowship,

We thank thee, O Lord. Amen.