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Representative Ron Forster |
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Be Thankful on Thanksgiving This year, take advantage of the Thanksgiving season and use it as a chance to nurture a sense of real gratitude in your family. The Bible tells us to "give thanks to the Lord for he is good" (Ps. 107:1) and to "enter his gates with thanksgiving" (Ps. 100:4). That attitude is often lost in our "I want more" culture, and encouraging thankfulness in children is no small task. But when children understand what it means to be grateful, they begin to develop an awareness of all that God has given them as well as a sense of real contentment. In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter. The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians. The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday. Top 15 Reasons to Be Thankful on Thanksgiving During
Thanksgiving, we're always asked what we're thankful for. So in honor of turkey
day, I compiled a list of 15 reasons to be thankful. 15. That someone else kills the turkey and removes those nasty gizzard things from their bodies. 14. That peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches are always a safe stand-by when Uncle Danny's trying to cook the turkey in the microwave. 13. For conversation about a bunch of distant relatives you don't know, but you don't care 'cuz the food's so good. 12. For a family that loves you, even if Aunt Margaret can't stop pinching your cheeks and exclaiming, "My how you've grown!" 11. That Thanksgiving is the one time you can eat for 8 hours straight, feel like ya gotta be rolled away from the table, but you keep right on eating. 10. For the crazy relatives who make you laugh right after you put mashed potatoes in your mouth just so they can watch you blow them out your nose. 9. For getting two days of school off-even though your teachers gave you so much homework, you'll never get it done by New Year's. 8. That this is the one time you don't have to sit next to your little brother who talks with his mouth full-he'll sit across from you instead. 7. For that one food dish you never quite know what it is. 6. For finally graduating from the "kids' table" to the "adults' table." (I graduated a few years ago.) 5. That there's always a football game to snooze through, despite the fact you're sharing a love seat with five of your relatives. 4. For hearing Grandpa pray. 3. That black olives, a.k.a. finger puppets, can add entertainment to any meal. 2.
For washing your dishes-and those of 14 other relatives. 1. That God loves us so much, he gave us a family to love, a turkey to eat, and a Son to save our souls. Did I miss anything? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving
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