Of all the holidays observed in the United States, my favorite is Thanksgiving. I’ll bet I’m not alone on that. What could be better than gathering with family and food for a time dedicated to thanking the Lord for His abundant goodness and kindness. Please give this “thankful list” set to song a sing-along listen, then come back for thoughts that put us in our place — the wonderful place the Lord has put us in.
What I am thankful for today
Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
[1Thessalonians 5:18 BSB].
One of the best lists a person can make is one on “what I am thankful for today.” Let me pass along to you a great idea: make an “A to Z” gratitude list. Read all about it at a wonderful blog site you’ll probably want to explore more: https://www.silkandsonder.com/blogs/news/a-to-z-gratitude-list#:~:text=If%20you’ve%20heard%20the,every%20letter%20of%20the%20alphabet.
The author, Leigh Weingus, cites lots of reasons to do this, including it’s “beneficial for our mental health and emotional well-being.” She says, “If you’re used to making a list of five things you’re grateful for, making a list of 26 things you’re grateful for may be more of a challenge—in a good way.”
Try making your own alphabetical list. I got started and quickly realized it helped me to think of things God is, does or provides. Much there to be thankful for!
A grateful list set to music
Our song is a grateful list built to run through our hearts and minds as we stroll, jog or race through our days. It offers fine ideas to help us with our own lists, including:
Blessings of the year
Friends
Peace
Life, health (here bundled with “common things“. When we have life and health, we should always be so very thankful! We do well to become more aware of “common” things we take for granted. What about waking up? Freedom to choose? Air? Food? Water? Bible & books & reading? Common things? What if we had to provide all of this for ourselves every day? We’d be calling “Digger O’Dell”, the undertaker. Our thankful lists just got bigger.)
Home
Affection
Love of God
Inspired thoughts
Lives warmed by heavenly fires
Not bad for a song we can sing in only a minute and a half. How is THAT for time well spent?
Thanksgiving in the United States
When we were kids, my mom and dad bought a set of encyclopedia books for our home. I was taught it was poor scholarship to depend on those books for research. I hear the same thing about online “encyclopedias” today. I admit I hit those books back then, and continue to visit the same online still today. I know not everything I report will be correct — so I’m willing to extend that same grace to these sources, and at least give them a look when I want to know something. I’m … thankful … for them. 🙂 That said, let’s note Wikipedia offers a lot about Thanksgiving in the United States. Visit it for yourself! Here are a few highlights I found fascinating:
In the US, our modern celebration of Thanksgiving dates back to 1863, but since the 1800’s the holiday has been linked back to the Pilgrims’ 1621 harvest festival. Historian Michael Gannon claims St. Augustine, Florida, was founded with a thanksgiving meal way back in 1565. Years and years of thanksgiving in our land!
I feel strongly that all Americans should learn about God’s amazing involvement in our nation’s history. Much is available to help with the learning. For starters …
— visit https://wallbuilders.com/ — start with videos by David Barton and branch out from there.
— Get — and READ — a copy of “The Light and the Glory — Did God Have a Plan for America?” by Peter Marshall and David Manuel. If you want a treat, share this book with someone who will be hearing these things for the first time — and hang around to watch their faces when they learn about God’s blessing hand on our country.
— Cathy Reichel has posted wonderful videos on YouTube related to Thanksgiving. Here are links to a couple:
Do You Know The REAL First Thanksgiving?!
Exposing the TRUTH about the MAYFLOWER COMPACT!
I know this is a lot to do — make an A to Z grateful list, learn a new song, learn about God’s direct involvement with American history — so much! But it is worth making the time. Just think how much time the Lord has already spent on you and me preparing for all the blessings of the year!
God bless you lots
-Dale R.
LYRICS: For All The Blessings Of The Year
Words: Albert H. Hutchinson (1909)
Music: Robert N. Quaile (1903)
1 For all the blessings of the year,
For all the friends we hold so dear,
For peace on earth, both far and near,
We thank You, Lord.
2 For life and health, and common things,
Which every day and hour brings,
For home, where our affection clings,
We thank You, Lord.
3 For Your great love which never tires,
Which all our better thought inspires,
And warms our lives with heavenly fires,
We thank You, Lord.
Let’s stay in touch
Each time I post a new song and lesson here I send a brief, cheerful note to friends of this song site. The note gives a quick description of the song and lesson along with a link to the new song’s page. It is super-easy for you to get a note from me, too. Just click the green “Song of the Week” button below and you are almost there.
To sweeten the deal, you will also get instant access to the “Music Box” where I put all the free resources and downloads that go along with these song pages. Check it out now! Good stuff. (Side note — I still post announcements on social media, too, even though I have learned it is terribly unreliable at getting the message out and keeping us connected. Email gets that job done where social media fails. We do well to connect this way, and avoid getting throttled by social media.)
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