A grateful nation
Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863.
After the first New England Thanksgiving the custom spread throughout the colonies, but each region chose its own date. In 1789 George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed November 26 a day of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving day continued to be celebrated in the United States on different days in different states until Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, decided to do something about it. For more than 30 years she wrote letters to the governors and presidents asking them to make Thanksgiving Day a national holiday.Finally, in 1863, President Lincoln issued a White House proclamation calling on the “whole American people” wherever they lived to unite “with one heart and one voice” in observing a special day of thanksgiving. Setting apart the last Thursday of November for the purpose, the President urged prayers in the churches and in the homes to “implore the interposition of the almighty had to heal the wounds of the nations and to restore it…to full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.” He also states that they express heartfelt thanks for the “blessing of fruitful fields and healthful skies.”
This year our country can, once again, be thankful for a new hope provided by a president from Illinois. We can be thankful to live in a country where an individual of mixed backgrounds can be elected to the highest office in the land (the world?) because he is the right person for the job and a beleaguered nation has finally seen the light and has come together for the betterment of the country and the world.
(Oh, and one more thing that we can be thankful for will be the restoration and preservation of the United States Constitution-just a little thing)
Happy Thanksgiving to all my RT Buds- Front Pagers, Contributers, Commenters and Readers. You keep me inspired. 
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Thanks for inspiring all of us! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. We have ALOT to finally be grateful for!
And if you’re reading Eric Massa - you know I’m talkin’ to YOU!
Thanks Jiminy, and as far as Eric Massa goes- I second that emotion!!
Thanks for running Eric and thanks for winning. You are another cause for grateful celebration.
Which reminds me of one of my favorite statements published in the Wall Street Journal by United Technologies Corporation waaaaaaay back in the 70’s…(the ballad of Eric Massa)
The words I live by are from Howard Dean (yeah, I know, big surprize!)
“Never give up, never give up, never-give- up!’
I’m partial to Commander Peter Q Taggart - “Never give up, Never Surrender”.
but this thought popped in - I suppose you can either be history or write it- stlo7.
Old Scottish proverb….
Twelve highlanders and a bagpipe make a rebellion.