Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude to God, whose guidance and care go before us...and whose love is with us forever.  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the changes, to remember that we, too, grow and change from one season of life to another.  Let us remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving.  As we see the beauty of Autumn, let us acknowledge the many blessings which are ours...let us think of our families and friends...and let us give thanks in our hearts.

God gives us so many reasons to celebrate!

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your loses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself. 

In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World, the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful.  They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.  The Pilgrims has beaten the odds.  Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared with the neighboring Native Americans.  This custom continued through the years.  During the American Revolution, a day of national thanksgiving was suggested.  In 1817, New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom.  By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated.  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 November as the holiday.

"I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains.  Go outside into the fields, nature and sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God.  Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy."

Anne Frank

  "As we express our gratitude,

we must never forget that the

highest appreciation is not to

utter words, but to live by them."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy.