Remember God’s Blessings and Give Thanks

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2

Here are some things you may not know about Thanksgiving.

• Pumpkin pie was not served at the first Thanksgiving meal. The pumpkin is, however, native to America and soon came to be used in many early colonial recipes.

• Over 200 million turkeys will be raised in the United States this year. 44 million of them will be eaten on Thanksgiving.

• 88% of people will eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

• The first Thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrims in 1621.

• Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday on October 3, 1863, during the Civil War. President Lincoln believed a day of thanksgiving would be good for the troubled nation.

• The first Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade was held in 1924.

• The main attraction at the parade was Central Park Zoo animals. They were replaced by balloons in 1927.

• “Jingle Bells” was originally written in 1850 as a Thanksgiving song and may have first been performed in a Thanksgiving Day church service.

• Female turkeys do not gobble, only male turkeys. This is why they are called “gobblers.”

• The TV dinner has its origins in the Thanksgiving holiday. In 1953 a salesman for the Swanson food company had the idea when he saw tons of frozen turkey left over after Thanksgiving.

• Benjamin Franklin thought that the turkey would have been a better choice for national bird than the eagle. He considered the eagle a “cowardly” bird for stealing its food. The turkey, on the other hand, was a “more respectable bird” and a true native of America.

There are many reasons we should be thankful as Americans. We are thankful for our freedoms and democracy, the abundance of food and resources, a strong economy and many opportunities, good health care, educational opportunities, a country that is protected by two large oceans, and good neighborhoods and communities.

There are also many reasons we should be thankful as Christians. We are thankful for salvation through Christ, God’s persistent mercy, the gift of life, the Bible as our guide, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, prayer and its promises, Christian fellowship, God’s provision, and hope for eternity.

We cannot remember all God’s blessings, but we should not forget them all either. The psalm reminds us to “forget not all his benefits.” When we take time and give thanks, it is a way of remembering some of God’s many blessings.

This Thanksgiving be sure to take time to remember some of God’s blessings, even if you cannot remember them all.