Count Your Blessings

Written by Bennie Ben Wright

Thanksgiving is a time for remembering our blessings, a time for remembering how good God is, a time for remembering and being truly thankful for our blessings and not just for the turkey.

The American Thanksgiving originated with William Bradford. Bradford, who arrived on the Mayflower, was elected governor of the Plymouth Colony in 1621. He was reelected several times and served until 1645.

Despite a scant harvest in 1621, Governor Bradford designated a day for the colonists to offer thanks.

George Washington proclaim the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789. Prior to this, individual colonies held Thanksgiving celebrations on the days designated by their individual governors.

During President Lincoln’s tenure, he designated August 6, 1863, as the national Thanksgiving Day observance. He did this at the constant urging of Sarah Josepha Hale.

LifeWay Recommends The author of 'Faith of the Pilgrims' and 'Pilgrim's Way' now relates The Story of Thanksgiving, from the harvest festivals of the ancient world and the first Thanksgiving in colonial America to today's celebrations.

The date was changed several times, but in 1941 Congress proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as the American annual Thanksgiving Day observance. This was done by a joint resolution adopted by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They selected this date to prevent Thanksgiving from falling so close to Christmas.

Thanksgiving Day is best when celebrated, if possible, in the company of family and friends with whom we can reminisce about past blessings and experiences.

When I was a small boy growing up on our farm, we never had turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas. This does not mean we were underprivileged. On the contrary, we had something better.

Mama would kill an old hen, and we would have chicken and dressing. She gathered sage from the sage bushes in our yard and mixed it in the dressing. I have eaten many kinds of food and have enjoyed them, but no one has ever been able to rival Mama's chicken and dressing. I can almost taste it now.

Count your blessings this Thanksgiving Day. They are probably more numerous than you realize. Then on bended knees offer sincere thanks to the Great Provider.

Bennie Ben Wright is retired and lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. He enjoys reading, writing, and playing with his grandson, Adam. This article is courtesy of Mature Living Magazine.

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