"I do recommend and assign Thursday ... 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." --George Washington (1789)

Patriots, please join me in welcoming this Thanksgiving with a pause to step back and reflect upon how blessed we really are -- blessed far beyond any measure of what we deserve. We sometimes become so preoccupied with the challenges we face as a nation that we neglect to take account of the full measure of the innumerable ways our Creator has blessed us.

To put our national Day of Thanksgiving into proper context is to express gratitude for, in the words of George Washington, "the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. 

In his first Thanksgiving proclamation, President Ronald Reagan wrote: "As we celebrate Thanksgiving ... we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. Such reflection can only add to the significance of this precious day of remembrance. Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people."

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." --Psalm 100:4-5.