Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thanksgiving Rich in History, Tradition
3:00 PM | 
Posted by
Luke Messer for Congress
As we all learn in elementary school, the first Thanksgiving Day feast occurred during the harvest celebration of the Pilgrims and Indians in the autumn of 1621. Our modern celebration can be traced back to 1863 when President Lincoln became the first President to declare Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since.
Still, as we head into the holiday season, let's never forget that America is a blessed country that has faced big challenges before. There is nothing wrong with America today that cannot be fixed by all of the things that have been right about America for more than 200 years. The desire for freedom and the belief that government should not intrude on the everyday lives of its citizens are the very ideas that brought the Pilgrims to this land. These time-honored principles are the key to bringing prosperity back to our great country, and we cannot allow today's economic crisis to become an excuse to take our freedoms from us.
Working together, we can help the next generation of conservative leadership step up and make a big difference for our state and our nation. All we have to do is act. And, the time for action is now!
So, enjoy time with family and friends during this holiday season. Then, let's get back to work fighting the good fight and moving our country forward.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Luke
Last week, my first grade daughter appeared as an Indian in her school's Thanksgiving gala. All of the songs and costumes were great, but my favorite was a little song called: "Let's have a gratitude attitude!"
During the song, the students would sing the chorus "Let's have a gratitude attitude!" together and then one of the students would step forward to tell the audience something specific that they were grateful for. Answers varied from "my Mom and Dad," to "Jesus," to "friends" to "my goldfish."
It was all in good fun. But, the song reminds us all that Thanksgiving is a time to look past our struggles, thank the Lord and remember all of the small things that make our lives great.
For many, that will be a difficult challenge this holiday season. With double digit unemployment gripping many of our communities, folks are understandably concerned about our future. Make no mistake about it. These are challenging times. And, it will take a host of good decisions and a lot of hard work to get things turned back around.
Still, as we head into the holiday season, let's never forget that America is a blessed country that has faced big challenges before. There is nothing wrong with America today that cannot be fixed by all of the things that have been right about America for more than 200 years. The desire for freedom and the belief that government should not intrude on the everyday lives of its citizens are the very ideas that brought the Pilgrims to this land. These time-honored principles are the key to bringing prosperity back to our great country, and we cannot allow today's economic crisis to become an excuse to take our freedoms from us.
Working together, we can help the next generation of conservative leadership step up and make a big difference for our state and our nation. All we have to do is act. And, the time for action is now!
So, enjoy time with family and friends during this holiday season. Then, let's get back to work fighting the good fight and moving our country forward.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Luke
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