Thanksgiving Day is celebrated just once each year in America. We all love to gather with family and friends, eat lots of delicious food we normally don’t eat, swap stories, catch up, and take in a bit of football. Every family is different, but the main idea of having a special day set aside is to take a day to reflect on the blessings we’ve received.
Many attribute those blessings to God. There’s even an old song that goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” That’s actually a good piece of advice. In our busy world of work and family, how often do we have time (or take time) to just consider all the things that we would put in the “blessings” column of the past year. Perhaps that’s a good tradition to start (or restart) this year.
Want to know the history of Thanksgiving Day? Check out articles at History.com. Here’s an excerpt:
“On October 3, 1863, expressing gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln announces that the nation will celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday on November 26, 1863. The speech, which was actually written by Secretary of State William Seward, declared that the fourth Thursday of every November thereafter would be considered an official U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving. This announcement harkened back to when George Washington was in his first term as the first president in 1789 and the young American nation had only a few years earlier emerged from the American Revolution. At that time, George Washington called for an official celebratory “day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” While Congress overwhelmingly agreed to Washington’s suggestion, the holiday did not yet become an annual event.” [History.com]
Abraham Lincoln’s first proclamation for Thanksgiving began:
“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.” [abrahamlincolnonline.org]
However your family celebrates Thanksgiving Day this year — be openly thankful for all the good in your life. We at Core Technology Solutions wish you the best of this uplifting day.
