He who can give thanks for little will always find he has enough.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
From the History Channel website:
In September 1620, a ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith. After a treacherous crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began establishing a village at Plymouth.
That first winter was brutal, and only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received a visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe, who amazingly greeted them in English.
Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe. Squanto, who also spoke English, taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which endured for more than 50 years.
In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast. He invited the colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit. This is now remembered as America’s “first Thanksgiving.”
Many presidents since that time proclaimed days of Thanksgiving for the nation. In 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill officially making Thanksgiving a National Holiday on the fourth Thursday in November, which is when we celebrate it today.
I relate this history of Thanksgiving to help us remember why we celebrate this Holiday.
These days we slip right from Halloween to Christmas, with very little acknowledgment of Thanksgiving, the Holiday in between. There’s not as much fun-type decorating to do for Thanksgiving as you can do for Halloween and Christmas, so perhaps that’s one reason Thanksgiving is overlooked.
But another reason is that after you have lived so well for so long, as we have in the United States, we sometimes take things for granted and forget to be thankful.
On Thanksgiving Day, many families go around the table and say something they are thankful for.
Most of the time, that’s when people will say they are thankful for their families or for their health. These are excellent things to be grateful for, and I am always happy to hear they are not taken for granted. I think this “going around the table” exercise is a perfect thing to do on Thanksgiving Day.
But how many of us state what we’re thankful for on the other 364 days of the year? You don’t have to “go around the table” for that. It can be done anywhere, any time.
I like to list the things I’m thankful for just before I go to sleep at night.
I seldom have trouble falling asleep, but I make it a habit to chat with God just before I drop off. So when my head hits the pillow, I begin listing the things I am thankful for.
I start small: Father, thank you for my pillow. Thank you that it is clean, dry, and comfy.
I go on from there: Thank you for my bed, which is also clean, dry, and comfy. Thank you for my blanket that keeps me warm. Thank you that I have a bedroom where I have privacy. Thank you for my husband sleeping next to me.
Thank you that the bathroom is only 22 steps from my bed. Thank you for indoor plumbing, so I don’t have to go outside. Thank you for having hot and cold running water available whenever I want it. Thank you that our water is clean.
Thank you that we have a house that protects us from the elements. Thank you that we can keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Thank you that we can live here as we please, protected and in privacy.
Get the picture?
I could go on with my thank-yous, but I am usually asleep by this time. And my sleep is sweet because my heart was filled with gratitude just before dropping off.
But listing my thanks isn’t limited to just before falling asleep. I take time to thank God all throughout each day for everything:
- Thank you for my dentist, whose office is clean, attractive, and up-to-date with technology. Thank you that he’s willing to work on my teeth. Thank you that he helps me keep my teeth healthy so that they don’t hurt when I eat or drink.
- Thank you for the men who pick up our garbage every week, so our neighborhood is kept clean and orderly.
- Thank you for the laughter of our grandchildren as they “try” to go to sleep when we have them sleep over.
Of course, amongst all these things, I am grateful for my family and for my health.
I take time to thank God for that too. When you stop to really think about it, we have SO much for which to be grateful! And it improves your feelings about things in general if you take a few moments to give that some thought.
There’s a song from the movie, “White Christmas,” called “Counting Your Blessings.” I’ve always loved that song, as it reflects what I’ve been writing about here. Here’s a link to a video of it for your enjoyment: Count Your Blessings_White Christmas_Lyrics – Bing video
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE! I am thankful for you!
