Thanksgiving Day – A day appointed for giving thanks for divine goodness and mercies; as, the fourth Thursday in November as a legal holiday in the U.S. – Webster’s Third New International Dictionary
When you and your family gather on Thanksgiving Day, here is a prayer for you:
When turkey’s on the table laid,
And good things I may scan,
I’m thankful that I wasn’t made
A vegetarian. –Edgar A. Guest
OK, OK, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to the Creator but I’m sure He doesn’t mind a little humor with the turkey, sweet potatoes, scalloped corn and pumpkin pie.
Hardly anyone reads Guest’s poetry any longer, but there was a time when his verse, which was almost always optimistic and sentimental, could be heard in many homes and seen in plain wooden frames hanging in hallways.
However, to be serious on Thanksgiving, we can think of and pray for those who are not at our table. They may be far off serving our country in the Armed Forces. They may live in another state and cannot come home for this truly American holiday. Or, just as often, they are absent because they are working, as one in three Americans do on holidays.
The following prayer by an unknown author captures some of the spirit of the day.
A Thanksgiving Day Prayer
Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning,
thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.
And even though I huddle in my bed and put off the effort of rising,
thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.
Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed against the morning light as long as possible,
thank you, Lord, that I can see. There are many who are blind.
Even though the first hour of the day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, and
tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu
is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest, thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov. 25, 2015