a day to give thanks to God
November 24, 2010 (Wednesday)
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. Half of those who endured the hardships of the 66-day voyage on the tiny Mayflower died during that first winter. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
The day before Thanksgiving Day has the distinction of being the busiest travel day of the year. Most people are going home where families will enjoy a reunion along with a wonderful meal, usually featuring turkey with all the trimmings. The day after Thanksgiving Day is the biggest shopping day of the year, opening the Christmas shopping season. Stores run special sales that draw big crowds.
Thanksgiving Day parades and nationally televised football games are part of the American experience.
Though many people think of the Thanksgiving holidays as secular, at its heart from the beginning it has been a religious observance in which we thank God for our blessings. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” We are thankful for what God has given us, thankful even though we may find ourselves in need, and most of all thankful for the Lord Himself, who has allowed us to know Him and to know He loves us with an everlasting love.
