In approximately 54 hours I'll be sitting down with kith and kin to eat way more than I should in a gluttonous celebration of our nation's heritage. This will be my 33rd Thanksgiving and I have to admit that I rarely stop and think about what this holiday really means. I am too easily distracted by the sound of the Dallas Cowboys losing on TV and the captivating smell of a cooking turkey and a bowl of warm gravy. So this year, I want to reflect on the true idea for the Thanksgiving holiday, as originally intended by our forefathers. I want to stop, reflect and declare my gratitude for the many blessings I have, most of which I simply don't deserve.
I'm thankful for the right to live, work and worship freely, without the threat of harm to me or my family. And, I'm thankful for the generations of Americans who have sacrificed their lives to protect those freedoms. I'm thankful for the daily touch of God in my life and His endless love for me. I'm thankful for the beautiful bride of my youth who stubbornly yet gracefully stays by my side, in spite of me. I'm thankful for the five healthy children we've created together and the household in which we're raising them. I'm thankful for the roof over our head, the food on our table and the clothes on our back. Finally, I'm thankful for the chance to bore you with my ideological ramblings!!
Lastly, to combat what our culture has callously reduced to "Turkey Day", I've pasted a few germane quotes below. These are from various, credible sources and they draw attention to the original intended purpose of Thanksgiving.
"We fearing the Lord should take notice under so many intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving… " --Thanksgiving Day Proclamation by William Bradford, governor of Plymouth County, June 1676
"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country…." --Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day, President George Washington, October 3, 1789
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People." --Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day, President Abraham Lincoln, 1863
"For food that stays our hunger, For rest that brings us ease, For homes where memories linger, We give our thanks for these." --Traditional English Prayer
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." --Psalm 100:4-5
