Don’t overlook Thanksgiving

Every year it seems as though we get closer to going from Halloween straight into the Christmas season without giving much attention to Thanksgiving.

The latter is an American holiday that is just as important as Independence Day.  Thanksgiving was the first holiday celebrated in the land that would eventually become the United States of America.  I believe that those who attended the first Thanksgiving demonstrated that they were truly grateful for all of their blessings of the year.  Their togetherness was a sign of things to come.

Those first Thanksgiving participants set a perfect example of the true spirit of the holiday, one that is mirrored in the gathering of our families in late November each year.  Time spent together at Thanksgiving with family members is the quintessential blessing of all of our blessings.

Let’s all do our best to slow down the march towards the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and pause in giving true thanks to the Lord for all of our blessings–even the smallest of which are sometimes most important.

Joe Buck Coates