Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m no Washington, but I do know at thing or two about giving thanks.

Yesterday at four in the afternoon I decided to go food shopping for the last minute things necessary for a successful feast. I needed cranberry sauce, whole and jellied, turnip, (I’m the only one who eats the stuff at my house) some gravy, milk and some cream cheese. I never thought twice about the chances of all these things being available at my fingertips hours before a major holiday.

The shelves were stocked with food, fruit, fresh vegetables, thousands of cheeses, aisle after aisle of things, perishable and not.

I walked past the meat counter as the meat guy wheeled out a pallet full of turkeys. Fresh ones, frozen ones, big ones, little ones, they even had a duck and some geese.

If you took a person from the not so distant past and put him in my place yesterday he might have thought he was in heaven. I thought of that after complaining to the grocery manager because there was no whole cranberries.

Thank you everybody who participated in our democracy, past and future. It truly is amazing how we make this society work. It’s nearly miraculous when you stop and think about it.

I found this at www.anchorrising.com and figured I’d share it here.

General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS 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 favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice 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 fincere and humble thanksfor His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in moft humbly offering our prayers and fupplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and befeech Him to pardon our national and other tranfgreffions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private ftations, to perform our feveral and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a bleffing to all the people by conftantly being a Government of wife, juft, and conftitutional laws, difcreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all fovereigns and nations (especially fuch as have shewn kindnefs unto us); and to blefs them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increafe of fcience among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind fuch a degree of temporal profperity as he alone knows to be beft.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington