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On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the Germans signed the Armistice that ended World War I. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day. While it is still called this by several other countries around the world, in 1954, the U.S. Congress proclaimed Nov. 11th Veterans Day. This day has been set aside to celebrate the patriotism and courageous acts of those who have served in our armed services.
Veterans Day commemorations include services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. It’s a good day to thank a veteran for their service and sacrifice, as well as proudly fly the flag in their honor.
Thanksgiving
The first paragraph of George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation states:
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 favor; 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 public 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:"
At the time, President Washington declared Thursday, November 26 as a day devoted to giving thanks and praise to God for his goodness, as well as ask for pardon from sin and blessings on our nation.
Americans usually look back the Pilgrim colony in Plymouth in 1621 for the origins of our traditional feast. Indeed, the Pilgrims had much to be thankful for. There first winter in the New World had been extremely difficult. Nearly half of the colony had been wiped out by harsh circumstances and disease. Their contact with Massasoit’s Wampanoag tribe had brought a new friend into their midst: Squanto.
This Pawtuxet native had been captured by an Englishman, first to be taught English so that information could be gotten about the tribes that populated New England. He was returned to his home, only to be captured again by a captain bent on selling him and others of his tribe into slavery. That time, he was rescued by some friars that shared the message of Christianity with Squanto. He was able to leave the monastery for England, where he found employment in the house of a merchant until he could find a way to return home.
Returning to New England, he discovered his own people had been wiped out. He found a home with the understanding Massasoit. Despondent over his loss, Squanto visited the Plymouth colony with Samoset and found a new mission. He was eager to help the Pilgrims survive in their new home. He taught them how to plant corn, stalk corn, refine maple syrup, plant pumpkins amidst the corn, discern what herbs were good for medicine and fish successfully. The abundant harvest gave the Pilgrims reason to rejoice.
Thankful for the friends they had found in Squanto and the Wampanoags, as well as God’s provision of food, Governor Bradford declared a public day of Thanksgiving in October. They invited Massasoit, who brought 90 of his people with him, arriving a day early with deer and wild turkey. The Pilgrims shared the fruits and vegetables from their gardens. The feasting was extended to three days.
Arriving home again in New England six months before the Pilgrims, a Native American from the Pawtuxet tribe who spoke English and shared in the Christian faith was there to walk alongside and help the Pilgrims just in time! Was Squanto’s presence just a coincidence? Or the grace of God? You decide!
President Washington seemed to remember that kind of grace as he made his proclamation. Many years later, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November of that year as a day of thanksgiving and praise, too. Individual presidents usually continued that tradition, as each year passed. It wasn’t until Congress decided in 1941 that the fourth Thursday of November would officially be the legal holiday we know as Thanksgiving.
However you see Thanksgiving and decide to celebrate it, whether with turkey and stuffing or tofurkey and salad, may you have much to be thankful for in the year to come.
If you’d like, please feel free to share your favorite Thanksgiving traditions in our comment section today. We love to hear from you!
For more information about America's Christian heritage visit: http://www.petermarshallministries.com/about/heritage.cfm
(PIctures in this post are from Wikipedia Commons
and are in the public domain. The painting above is
appropriately called "The First Thanksgiving" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.)
Brrr.....it's November in the mountains, and I can feel the chill signaling winter. Snuggling under some warm blankets, holding a cup of hot tea or cocoa and building a roaring fire to stay warm.
Tiffany Amber Stockton is an author, online marketing specialist and freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author in beautiful Colorado Springs. They celebrated the birth of their first child in April and have a vivacious puppy named Roxie, a Border Collie/Flat-Haired Retriever mix. She has sold eight books so far to Barbour Publishing. Other credits include writing articles for various publications, five short stories with Romancing the Christian Heart, and contributions to the books: 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage and Grit for the Oyster. Read more about her at her web site: 