Thanksgiving is meant to show appreciation to God for the many blessings of our lives. Sometimes, in spite of our tribulations.
Traditionally, (in North America) Thanksgiving is an annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal including turkey. The holiday commemorates a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. A similar holiday is held in Canada, usually on the second Monday in October.
But possibly the best message for Thanksgiving came this morning in a note from my dear friend, and HOPE global advisory board chairman Sean Cleary, who said:
John F. Kennedy ended his Thanksgiving Day proclamation by encouraging all to “…gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship, and in homes blessed by family affection, to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and … earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.”
He concluded:
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings, let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals, and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world.”
We wish each of you and yours, a heartfelt and loving Thanksgiving day, and a season filled with the feeling of thanks, and giving.