text from the Spoken Word for Thanksgiving....
“A Time to Give Thanks”
A time to give thanks for life’s bounties and blessings deserves a place on
our calendars and in our hearts. Despite problems personal and global-or perhaps
because of them-taking time to count our blessings is good for the soul.
Thanksgiving commemorates more than just an episode in our national history;
it celebrates our deepest roots and highest ideals. It may be the only time when
Grandma’s good china comes out of the closet, but its meaning is deeper than
that, even holy: to gather, express love, and consider our blessings-including
the many good things we usually take for granted.
One family brings out a “thankful box” each year at this time. Throughout the
day, family members write down, on little slips of paper, things they’re
thankful for and stuff them in the box. After dinner, the box is opened and the
papers are read aloud. The comments range from the silly to the profound, but
all invite the family to pause and reflect on their blessings. It takes just a
few minutes, but it has become a cherished tradition.
For some, a day of thanksgiving may be nothing more than a big meal, a
stressful day of preparing and fussing. For others, it might be a day to watch
sports. But the significance of the day is not found in food and entertainment.
For those who intentionally make it a day to give thanks and strengthen bonds,
the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the most meaningful and satisfying of the
year.
At the height of the Civil War, when it may not have felt natural or easy to
pause and give thanks, Abraham Lincoln said this in a timeless Thanksgiving
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.”1
It is this spirit of gratitude-for blessings large and small, in times of
abundance and trial-that turns our hearts heavenward. Truly, we all need a time
to give thanks.
1. Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, Oct. 3, 1863, National Archives,
http://research.archives.gov/description/299960.
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