“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 Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING 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 establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”  George Washington 1789

Can you imagine the President of the United States issuing this statement today? The ‘duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God…’?

Attitudes have certainly changed since 1789.

My point in asking this is twofold: First to show how the people who actually wrote our Constitution (Washington was president of the Constitutional Convention) viewed these matters; quite differently than today, in many cases.  And second, to show how lucky we are to live in a Nation founded on the belief that we owe our thanks to God for all of our blessings, whether the politicians and judges think so or not.  Politicians and judges come and go, but the basic principles of this country remain.  Wow!  There’s something else to add to our list of things to be thankful for this year!

As General, Washington issued Proclamations of Thanksgiving at various times, and as President, he issued the first Presidential Proclamation, and in our time, this is something that all presidents do in November each year. May this year’s Thanksgiving be especially rich and rewarding for all of you.