A Day of Thankfulness

Thanksgiving Day.

A day for family, food, fun, and football {although not in our home}.

A day to remember, appreciate, take inventory of blessings… a day to be thankful.

A day to reach out to the lonely and those who have less.

A day to share and love.

A day to care and give.

Years ago I designed this layout of Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation.

My dad had asked that I share it at our Thanksgiving table with the guests.

So, of course, it had to ‘look good’.

Now I look at it and chuckle at how far my design skills have come.

But, despite that fact… I am sharing it with you today.

So that you can read it around your Thanksgiving Day table.

So that you can share it with family and friends.

So that we can be reminded of where we came from, our heritage and our blessings.

I realize that for many it’s hard to be thankful given the tough times they’re walking through:

loss of employment,

family struggles,

failing health,

trying to make their dollar stretch,

missing loved ones who are gone or far away.

I just wanted you to know, I’m praying for you.

I might not know you by name,

I might not know what you’re going through…

but the One I’m praying to does!

He knows everything.

The good, the bad, the struggles, the pain, the loss… all of it.

And He loves you, and want to be there for you, even when things feel hopeless.

I want to leave you with a list that our pastor gave us last Sunday.

It was simply too good not to share.

10 Things You Can’t Do Well While Being Genuinely Thankful to God:
  1. You can’t be afraid
  2. You can’t be angry
  3. You can’t be depressed
  4. You can’t be jealous
  5. You can’t be self-Pitying
  6. You can’t be  judgmental
  7. You can’t be bored
  8. You can’t be greedy
  9. You can’t be impatient
10. You can’t be arrogant

May 2012 be the happiest Thanksgiving ever for each one of you.

If you would like me to email you a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation,

simply leave a comment below and include your email {either in your comment login or in the text of the comment itself}.