GIVING THANKS: A Reflection on Thanksgiving, Family and Gratitude
ON this Thanksgiving week, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the holidays. You know, Christmas is coming, that's pretty obvious with the decorations that we are starting to see pop up everywhere. But one holiday that often gets overlooked is Thanksgiving.
It's a time when we get together with family and friends and do what Americans really love to do… that is eat together. In 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation designating November 26 of that year as a national day of thanksgiving. Here are some of the words of his proclamation: “whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts …” , “Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November, be devoted by the People of these States to that great service.”
The original Thanksgiving was a little different than the Thanksgiving of today. In 1621, the Wampanoag people and the English colonists, also known as Pilgrims, shared a harvest feast. The original feast with the native Americans and the pilgrims lasted three days and included deer, corn, shellfish, roasted meat, ball games, singing, and dancing. So, They didn't have the same menu that we have now. Of course, we have all those killer Thanksgiving fixings like the Turkey, the mashed potatoes and stuffing smothered in gravy, then there's the sweet potatoes covered with melted marshmallows, and in our home an unusual favorite, pineapple souffle. I love it when even some of the main courses taste like dessert. And then for dessert, I think it should be signed into law that we eat pumpkin pie and apple pie together, don't you?
What I like about Thanksgiving is it's not about shopping and having to get gifts for people. Thanksgiving is about, well, hopefully if we get it right, it's about giving thanks, just the way that it originally started. They may have celebrated in a different way, but the idea was right. It was a day set apart to give thanks. In Washington’s proclamation he proclaimed that the reason for this day was “that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions”.
And that's what we need to remember right now and during this is season when we are giving thanks. Be thankful for our nation which allows freedoms that are unheard of in many nations around the world. Give thanks for the prosperity and provision for our needs and a nation that allows people to pursue their dreams and to archive greatness. Its not perfect, and there have been and continue to be transgressions, but America still remains a land of great opportunity.
When my girls were little one of our favorite traditions at this time of year was watching a few select American Girl movies to celebrate the holidays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’d like to close with one of my favorite toasts offered by actor John Schneider in the movie “Felicity” about two families one family who were patriots and the other family who were loyalists and they found themselves on opposite sides during the revolutionary war. But, in the end, they find common ground in celebrating the holiday.
So here is a toast to your Thanksgiving:
To our friends, old and new. To our family, those who are kin and those who have been added to our family this year, and to those who no longer sit at our table, but who will forevermore live in our hearts. Let us not forget the roots of our great nation, the freedoms that we enjoy, the sacrifices that have been made, and those who are serving even now to protect our liberty.
And to Thanksgiving, a time of love, a time of peace and a time of gratitude for God’s grace in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.