On October 3, 1789, our first President, George Washington, issued the Thanksgiving Proclamation which set aside Thursday, November 26, as "A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer." The decree appointed the day, "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."
On September 28, 1863, Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74 year old magazine editor, wrote a letter to
President Abraham Lincoln, urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival", because prior to this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiving holiday at different times, mainly in New England and other Northern states. President Lincoln responded to Mrs. Hale's request immediately, the document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise".
"...I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."
On November 11, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, signed Proclamation 2571, which listed Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day, 'Days of Prayer', "...It is fitting that we recall now the reverent words of George Washington, 'Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection,' and that every American in his own way lift his voice to Heaven. I recommend that all of us bear in mind this great Psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
On November 16, 2011, President Barack Obama, writes in his 2011 Thanksgiving Proclamation, "...In times of adversity and times of plenty, we have lifted our hearts by giving humble thanks for the blessings we have received and for those who bring meaning to our lives. Today, let us offer gratitude to our men and women in uniform for their many sacrifices, and keep in our thoughts the families who save an empty seat at the table for a loved one stationed in harm's way. And as members of our American family make do with less, let us rededicate ourselves to our friends and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand. As we gather in our communities and in our homes, around the table or near the hearth, we give thanks to each other and to God for the many kindnesses and comforts that grace our lives. Let us pause to recount the simple gifts that sustain us, and resolve to pay them forward in the year to come."
Source:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanxProc1940.htm
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/16/presidential-proclamation-thanksgiving-day-2011
We at HealthIsInReach would like to wish you and your family on this Thanksgiving Day many blessings from above, that God would shower you with His love, mercy, and kindness, today and forevermore. May we all humble ourselves before the Cross of Christ, knowing the great sacrifice He made for us, that we may live on this earth with thanksgiving, glorifying Him in all that we do, looking forward to eternal life with Him.
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