Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving

I love this season. It is so full of memories and traditions and new ones to make. This year we did a unit study about Thanksgiving that my mama ordered from Family Life. It was a dramatic audio reading of the Pilgrims voyage and the first few years that they were developing the Plymouth colony. William Bradford said of the people that there were far more graves than there were huts that first year. Before Native Americans intervened, the Pilgrims' daily ration of food was a meager 5 kernels of corn but the pilgrims, when given the opportunity set a day aside to give thanks and were so moved by the opportunity they couldn't wait to do it again. And what kind of president, after a feast that gave thanks to the one true God hundreds of years before, decides to make it a National holiday. Wow! Can you imagine.

"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country..."
-Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day, President George Washington, October 3, 1789

"No human council hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people."
-Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day, President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

What is neat about Thanksgiving, it that it is a holiday that God himself has preserved so that we take time to give thanks. All other Christian holidays has been so perverted but Thanksgiving is truly American and Christian and is still observed with its original intent...to return thanks to the Most High God by the gathering of friends and family with a time of feasting.

Part of our study was to list thanksgivings. Here are a few...
My mama and daddy. - Mary-Grace
My best friend Mady. - Annalee
That God is changing my life and making this arrow sharper and pointier. - Bailey
For Judson's good eye and bad eye. - Elyona
Carly. - Jadon
Jesus, Family, Grace Fellowship, nursing babies, cold weather & coffee, silly
books like Twilight, fond memories, Honda's current work schedule, conformers
and prosthetics, A husband who loves to get up early get the kiddos ready and go shopping in the mad day after thanksgiving rush and... Alabama Football. - Mama

3 comments:

Lisa said...

I love this post....sounds like you had a good study.

Jessica said...

great post!
we have so much to be thankful for :)

The Agees said...

I love Abe and George. Be careful, History is addictive...lol.
Great post!