Remembering Thanksgiving

October 3, 1863 is the day President Abraham Lincoln officially proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day "of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father." Here is the text of Lincoln's proclamation:

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious.gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

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. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Many have tried to remove any thought of God from Thanksgiving celebrations since, and to secularize the holiday and reinvent history to attempt to prove their point. But it is evident from reading primary sources that Thanksgiving in America was always about giving thanks to God.

It is a Christian command and privilege to be grateful for the blessings of God (Deuteronomy 8:10; Psalm 107:19,21; Colossians 1:12-14; Philippians 1:3). Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful reminder to "give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever" (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Adapted from Dennis Rupert's article, 'The True Thanksgiving Story'.

In One Peace

Being always conscious of the limited time we have each day, I constantly live my life in a rush. Speed walking with overstretched legs and zig-zag overtaking are my companions, and I don't seem to know when to slowdown or to stop.

Then God decided it is time for me to learn how to slowdown, for my lungs to rest, because I have been overworking it and leaving it panting and over-exercised.

Within two weeks, I fell with my knees down on the floor two times, because of wet and slippery ground. Now, with bruises and occasional pain, I can no longer walk as before, hopefully temporary, and I am cautious the steps I take, making sure to walk slowly at normal pace. Climbing up and down the stairs have now become my constant reminder, and I don't have a choice, because the paths I take each day requires it.

Here is my afterthought: Constant rush can be hazardous to health. It is sometimes necessary and important to take time to accomplish a task, a goal, or in whatever we do. All of us must learn forebearance and patience, to think through and to be sure before jumping into the unforeseen.

Food for Thought

Here's something for you and I to think about ... Financial Lifelihood and Love Life ... the two things that really matters in life!

My Current Economic Status
Not enough to satisfy; good enough to survive

My Thoughts On Love
A) Love is selfish; a thing to possess
B) Love is selfless; a thing to give my all
~~ My Answer: B ~~