Who do you thank at Thanksgiving ?

Snap - went the spring loaded trap thrower out at the ranch. Crackle went my right arm, specifically the outer forearm bone called the ulna. Pop - we did - over to the hospital to get my arm set. No this is not a beginning of column on the healthcare debate, but rather one that is about Thanksgiving. Note: this column was typed entirely with my left hand – but with the assistance of my right brain.
Let me start by saying I am so thankful for the care I received at the hospital ER. Among cases of H1N1 flu, and assorted other weekend traumas, I was X-Rayed, diagnosed, and patched up in less than 2 hours. This is something every American and many non Americans have access to – the skills and capabilities of the glorious Emergency Room.
This odd break from my normal life caused me to pause and reflect on all the things I have to be thankful for. The first question is who am I thankful to? While not everyone will agree I have to first thank my Heavenly Father. I have this wonderful life because He has allowed me to come to earth to experience mortality and all the attendant lessons it brings first hand. Even painful episodes such as the “night stick fracture” that the Doctor diagnosed, is a great lesson. It reminded me to be much more careful around things that can snap bones. It created another funny story my wife and family can tell about Dad, and who knows; my arm may heal stronger than before.
I also have to thank God for my family. I readily admit that most of the stability and fun we have as a family is in large part due to a great wife and soul mate. My kids have taught me how to overcome normal human selfishness and have enhanced my life in ways no other experience could. These are blessings indeed, whether we recognize them as such or not.
I am so thankful for my Country. I love America and all that goes with it. I have visited over 35 other countries in my travels, and while I readily admit Africa is pure adventure, India is stunningly different and Europe is charming, nothing works like the USA. America is, to me, the best and most vibrant country on the face of the earth and needs to be preserved for the benefit of all mankind. Yes – I also believe that America has a hugely positive role to play in Gods’ plans too.
So, to summarize… God, Family, Country. This phrase may seem quaint and naïve to some but I believe it is the basic recipe for Americas’ incomparable greatness.
The spiritual nature of Thanksgiving though dates back to the Berkeley Plantation in Virginia where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1619, 12 years after the founding of the Virginia colony at Jamestown.
It was set aside as a day to thank God, and featured only a modest meal at first. It wasn't until two years later, in 1621, that Thanksgiving was expanded to include a banquet by the pilgrims in Massachusetts.
During his first year in office, President George Washington issued a proclamation calling for a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer." Washington understood that a free society had a basic obligation to both thank God and seek His guidance. In his Thanksgiving proclamation, Washington wrote: "It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly to implore His protection and favor."
During the Civil War, in October 1863, President Abraham Lincoln added to President Washington's initiative and created an annual day of Thanksgiving. Like Washington, Lincoln was determined to emphasize the direct tie between America and the Creator from whom Americans draw their rights. Even in the middle of the great and tragic Civil War, Lincoln focused on the nation's blessings, urging Americans to remember that "no human counsel 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.”
Even for folks who have no religious or spiritual tradition associated with Thanksgiving, it is a grand time to be thankful. I do want to encourage folks who do revere God to remember Him this Thanksgiving. We have many opportunities as Americans to be grateful and America needs your prayers of Thanksgiving in 2009.