Dear Friends,
While for many, Thanksgiving is a time of turkey and the start of the Christmas shopping rush, historically, Thanksgiving was about much more, and not just to the Pilgrims.
During his first year as President, George Washington issued a proclamation calling for a day of 'public thanksgiving and prayer' declaring, '"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."
And in 1863 during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln created an annual day of thanksgiving: "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
This, from a man who at the age of nine, his mother died. His sister died in childbirth. At age twenty-four he found himself in deep debt when a store he invested in failed. At twenty-five the woman he loved died causing him to sink into deep depression. Only one of his four sons lived to adulthood; one died just short of age 4, one at age 11, one at 18. In spite of his loss, his sorrow, his failings, he chose to express gratitude to God and lead our nation to do the same.
May each of us continue this legacy...and lead others to do the same in our circles of influence.
And may your Thanksgiving be filled with Happiness,
Duane and Sharon Hughes & All of us at
The Center for Changing Worldviews
Tune in today to hear our Thanksgiving Special
with William Federer, Author of "America's God & Country"
Hear the show online now (See 11/21/07)4Comment
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