“Count your blessings name them one by one. . .” The words of an old gospel tune play in my ears as I remember a childhood filled with large family gatherings round a table filled with sumptuous foods and lively stories of humor, adventures, and gratitude. It was long ago I learned the perfect gifts are the ones we already hold.

J. Robert Moskin expressed a kinship in the most human experience of gratitude. “Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings.”

Gratitude and thankfulness are among the most powerful and treasured feelings in the universe. This simple shift of focus has been known to transform a frown into a smile, a closed fist into an open hand, and a tight purse into a bountiful offering. In America, gratitude is so prized as to command its own day, and many see the day of Thanksgiving as a distinctly American experience.

“There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.” ~O. Henry

Besides the family, fun, and feasting that characterize the American Thanksgiving, the ideas behind the day have become an intrinsic part of being an American citizen. Our great leaders and thinkers have spoken of this idea with reverence and integrity; our people have lived with the idea of Thanksgiving not just year to year, but day by day. And this idea generated a philosophy of the highest ideals that have defined the American mindset.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

Throughout the past recent years, great tragedies have wounded our nation, yet our people have found ways every day to carry on with courage, integrity, and in a spirit of thanksgiving for all we have within the borders of this great country. We have endured. With tremendous anticipation, we are planning another Thanksgiving celebration after the Oklahoma bombings, Hurricane Katrina, and other devastating natural disasters nationwide, after “9-11” and the subsequent war in Iraq, and after so many tragedies in so many personal lives because of these and other hardships. We are American and as such we will continue to persevere. May all in this great nation find much to be thankful for in this Thanksgiving season.