Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. The winter of their arrival aboard the Mayflower was tragic. That first winter 46 of the original 102 pilgrims, who had sailed to America, died.

In the fall of 1621 those who had survived that first winter, along with about 91 Indians, who helped them survive the winter, celebrated the bountiful harvest of 1621 with three days of celebration.

In 1789, reflecting upon the blessings of God in helping the colonies achieve freedom and liberty, George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving.

On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving. In 1863 Thanksgiving fell on November 26, 1863. Abraham Lincoln had been reflecting upon the recent Union victories of the Civil War and he felt that the tide of the war was such that the Union would be saved. He had been reflecting upon the fact that the war was lasting longer than he had hoped and that it was being so tragic.

The week before Thanksgiving in 1863 Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address. He expressed gratitude to all of those who had given their lives so that we could enjoy the great freedoms and liberties that we have in America. Lincoln had often wondered why the war was lasting so long, but he was convinced that it was for a wise purpose that God knew. He believed that the length and severity of the civil war was possibly a result of the sins of the nation, but he trusted in God that this was God’s will and that it was taking place in God’s time.

Congress officially sanctioned Thanksgiving as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.

Isn't it cool that when we are in a spirit of thanksgiving, it is difficult to be angry or afraid.