Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no difference. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I'm sorry to say that the men in the family - my dad, my younger brother and myself - rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over. Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling   all over our fancy clothes, but it's not yet time to eat. First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren't wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university. But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling   stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose. Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and _ . To be sure, the day includes other highlights - visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in. Why does the author's mind usually "go blank" when saying a prayer of thanks?
He is too thankful to say a word. His mind is on the food before him. He feels too excited to speak. He is shy to speak in public.