In his annual Thanksgiving Proclamation this year President Bush says: "Every Thanksgiving, we remember the story of the Pilgrims who came to America in search of religious freedom and a better life. Having arrived in the New World, these early settlers gave thanks to the Author of Life for granting them safe passage to this abundant land and protecting them through a bitter winter.
"Our Nation's first President, George Washington, stated in the first Thanksgiving proclamation that "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." While in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition of proclaiming a day of thanksgiving, asking God to heal our wounds and restore our country."
A First Day
To be factually correct, the very first official Thanksgiving Day in America was declared on October 11, 1782, by the Continental Congress and was signed by the president of the Congress, my fellow Marylander, John Hanson.
In past years, as he did again this year, President Bush listed, among things for which we should be thankful, family and friends. Three years ago he noted: "At Thanksgiving we recognize the ties of friendship and respect that bind us together."
When all else fails, it is to family and friends we turn for help and support and this annual family holiday underscores such ties .
Better Angels of Our Nature
President Abraham Lincoln, on March 4, 1861, in his First Inaugural Address also spoke famously of the need for national unity, something in dire need in this time of economic crisis:
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
Having just come through an historic national election campaign with all its attendant discord, it is a good time at Thanksgiving to strengthen and renew the ties that bind us, both as Americans and as human beings.
A Blessed America
A well known twelve step program suggests that one major factor in recovery from addiction is an attitude of gratefulness. Gratitude defines us at our best. It does this by pointing away from self toward others, or toward a higher power some of us choose to call God.
Our national day of Thanksgiving reminds us that life is good, especially so in the United States of America, even in times of economic uncertainty. So on this Thanksgiving Day let us give thanks and be grateful for our liberty and for those who have fought and died to preserve it, and for our own family and friends, important among our many blessings.
It is our wish that you and your loved ones will enjoy a very happy Thanksgiving and may God bless America.
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