We began the celebration by giving thanks for all the good things of the earth, and for our enjoyment of them in this season of harvest. Then, at some point in the feast, came the moment when we amaze ourselves by somehow finding room for that slice of pumpkin pie. Finally and inevitably comes the call for help, whether it be in the form of a soothing remedy for gastric distress or the willpower to do better tomorrow in the battle against creeping adiposity.

And so, in the arc of its celebration, Thanksgiving embraces the whole spectrum of human prayer — gratitude, expressions of wonder and even earnest pleas for help. As the wag said, it’s a case of eat, drink and be merry — for tomorrow ye diet.