A Day of Thanksgiving & Praise

Thanksgiving 1991

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Football game. Roasted turkey, Daddy's Stove Top sausage stuffing, green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie. Tryptophans. Afternoon nap on the couch. Toss the football. Watch another football game. Put the Thanksgiving decorations away. Pull the Christmas boxes out of the attic.

That has been Thanksgiving at the Zimanek house since the first day of our marriage. Oh, the location or circumstances may change ... A few Turkey Trot runs; Brad's coworkers the year the turkey didn't cook; Thanksgiving at the boss's house eating the best southern food you ever tasted where sweet potato casserole was introduced; the Comfort Food Thanksgiving at the Zimaneks with Poptarts and mac 'n cheese; with the extended family and in-laws in WI; a house filled with Lauritzens and Amorosos another. But typically the schedule is always the same. All the parts work together to make this a fun, friends-family-and-football feast.

Turkey Trot 1993

This is your first Thanksgiving together. You are celebrating with Erica and anyone who wants to join you. I heard about your meal plans - a precious combination of Erica's family Thanksgivings and your own: pre-thanksgiving appetizers and a dinner with all the fixins. You will be mixing your traditions from Thanksgivings past with new ideas from this day forward. While our family will miss you terribly this Thanksgiving, we are so very excited for this adventure ahead for you. We know that our chances of celebrating Thanksgiving with you will be pretty slim as the years go on between our schedule and your own, so we cherish any moments we can have together, but that will never diminish our thanking God for you both.

President Lincoln signed this proclamation on Oct. 3, 1863 about Thanksgiving. It said: "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." Psalm 100:4 says: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Have fun making and creating new memories, remembering to be in thanksgiving and praise of our Lord. We love and miss you.

Discussion: Do you have any plans for future Thanksgiving traditions? What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving?

Prayer: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord, for everything. Thank you for this day set aside in praise of you. Thank you for our family and friends. Thank you for the food we eat. We ask for your blessings on the year ahead knowing next year at this time, Mr. and Mrs. Goggin will be feasting together for the first time as husband and wife. Glory to you, O, Lord. Amen.

God's Will For You

Every day in November, I try to remember to thank God for the blessings He has given me. Yes, we have a Thanksgiving holiday dedicated to that thanks to the Puritans and the Patuxet tribe that took pity on them, but it always seemed to me that one day was just not enough to thank God for all He's given. So I thank him every day, but make an extra effort the 30 days of November.

Living a life of thankfulness is not difficult. It's a selfless way of looking at all we've received from him. And we certainly have much to be thankful for.

I was once challenged to write down everything I was thankful to God for: all His provisions, the circumstances and people in my life, successes and challenges. I started writing it in my composition prayer journal. Thirteen pages, front and back later, my hand was hurting and I stopped. But I certainly was nowhere near done.

Knowing that all that we have is a gift from the Father is a wonderful reminder of how loving and caring He is. 1 Chronicles 16:34 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 9:1 says :"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

In that last one, it can sometimes be difficult to thank the Father in the midst of hard times, but once through or beyond them, when the Lord has worked good in those circumstances, can certainly invoke thanks.

I once read a quip which said, "What if you received tomorrow from the Lord only that for which you've thanked Him today?" It's an intriguing thought to ponder. All it takes is one broken toe to thank God for the nine that are not. Have you thanked the Lord this day for your being, health, food, clothes, shelter, friends, family, recoveries, joy and the right to bow before His throne?

That first Thanksgiving, the Puritans were grateful to the Father for their bountiful harvest and new friends, the Native Americans, who helped them. But their troubles were not over. Their numbers increased with new arrivals to the colony, and that coupled with a long, harsh winter had many sustained on just five kernels of corn per day. After a second successful harvest, the Pilgrims had another Thanksgiving feast. And on each plate was five kernels of corn ... a reminder to impress upon them what they needed to be thankful for to their Father in Heaven.

May each day for you both be a reminder of all you've been blessed with and day of thanksgiving.

Discussion: Talk about a tough time you went through that you are now grateful to God for? What are some other blessings in your lives you are thankful for?

Prayer: Dear Lord God, we humbly thank you for everything you have blessed us with. How you love us! Lord we praise your name, and thank you for gentle reminders to thankful in the tough times and for even the tiny blessings in our lives. In Christ's name, for Whom we are most thankful, Amen.