Don’t blink, or you may miss it. Many people don’t even think about it until the week before. Stores hardly promote it. They sell everything you need for Halloween, and before it’s over, the Christmas stuff is already stuffing the shelves. But what about Thanksgiving?

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? In school and church, we are taught that the first Thanksgiving was a three-day celebration between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was to celebrate the survival of their first bitter winter and a bountiful harvest. But is there more to it? Absolutely. I believe Thanksgiving is about so much more. Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude. We celebrate our thankfulness for all of the blessings that we have received and for the love and guidance from our Creator. It is so reassuring how we have a loving God who has our best interests at heart and who provides for our every need. I feel privileged to be able to celebrate this gratitude in a nation where we have religious freedom and where we can acknowledge God with our family and friends.

“Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~Ephesians 5:20