[Missouri-l] Faith, Thankfulness, and Dreams

Thu Nov 26 09:31:04 CST 2009

Faith, Thankfulness and Dreams
  Jackie Gingrich Cushman
Thursday, November 26, 2009
  We know the story of the first Thanksgiving almost 400 years 
ago, of the
pilgrims and the Indians coming together and sharing their food 
after a
bountiful harvest.  The first "official" Thanksgiving, however, 
was celebrated
just 210 years ago today.  President George Washington's first 
presidential
proclamation designated the 26th day of November to be set aside 
for
thanksgiving.

"It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of 
Almighty God and
to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to 
implore his
protection and favor," he wrote.
  Washington did not ask the nation's citizens to demand more 
from God or to
question why the Revolutionary War had lasted eight years, nor to 
reflect on the
damage that occurred during the war.  Instead, he asked the 
nation to be grateful
and to ask for God's protection and favor.
  Maybe we should follow Washington's lead once more.
  This year has been particularly hard for many people.  Many 
have lost jobs (more
than 10 percent of our nation is unemployed); some have lost 
their homes.  While
these losses are tragic and hard to overcome, they can be.
  If these losses are viewed as specific and temporary, then in 
two decades, they
might be seen as large bumps and bobbles in the road rather than 
key events
determining the trajectory and the final destination of lives.
  Alternatively, people might interpret their current woes as 
impossible to
overcome and decide that they have come to a dead end.  This 
belief will stifle
people's ability to dream.
  Hard times cannot be the times to falter and lose our dreams.
  We are a nation founded on a belief in God.  As the Declaration 
of Independence
states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men 
are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain 
unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Our understanding of our place in the world begins with our 
"Creator." This
faith in God provides us with optimism -- belief in a brighter 
future and an
understanding of our importance in the context of the wider, 
meaningful pattern
of life.  This faith is key to understanding American 
exceptionalism and American
optimism.
  Our thankfulness may help us believe a promising future awaits.
  After more than a year of economic trials and troubles, we can 
see hints of
better days ahead, a transition from shock and hopelessness to 
thankfulness and
gratitude for what we do have.
  Our faith in a Creator supports our nation's optimism  In a 
more tumultuous
time, after the Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, 
President Abraham
Lincoln declared a day of Thanksgiving.  His proclamation in 1863 
acknowledged
"the gracious gifts of the Most High God." Lincoln invited his 
fellow citizens
to set apart and observe "a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our 
beneficent
Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
Lincoln did not ask Americans to be distraught over the more than 
600,000 lives
lost during the Civil War, nor distressed over the damage to 
buildings and
commerce.  Instead, in a time of war, he asked the American 
people to acknowledge
the gracious gifts of God.
  During our time of trials, should we not do the same? Being 
thankful, even for
small things, allows us to be receptive and open.  We are 
acknowledging that
there are good things in life.  When we are upset and demanding, 
we focus on the
bad and shut out the possibilities of good, gifts and hope.
  We should remember our duty as noted by Washington "to 
acknowledge the
providence of Almighty God and to obey His will, to be grateful 
for His
benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor."
By giving thanks for what we have, we will begin to be able to 
dream of what
might be.  This optimism will then give way to action and 
results.
  This year, I asked many of my friends and family to share with 
me what they were
thankful for.  The majority of the answers cited health, family 
and friends.  A
few included the ability to work in areas they love.  What I did 
not hear was
thankfulness for dreams.
  We should be thankful for dreams.
  By being thankful, we can relax and be open to the wider, more 
meaningful
patterns and possibilities that emerge daily in our lives.
  We can imagine what could be.
  For that, let us give thanks.
  And let us continue to have faith and dream of what could be.