In Thanksgiving

Deborah Venable

11/28/02

As we gather to celebrate in the true traditions of American families who have done so for generations, may we all feel a genuine thankfulness to be who we are, where we are and with not so much attention for what we have or don’t have in worldly goods. We have acquired varying degrees of material wealth not necessarily with our Creator’s blessing, but possibly due to the shrewdness of our dealings with our fellow man or the simply the lack thereof if our possessions are meager. Such things that cannot be taken with us after we have left this earth do not determine the measure of human worth. The only true measure of our worth is in the value of our spirit and the strength of our faith that we have not betrayed our purpose for being here. If we are blessed with loving families, sound minds, and strong bodies, then we are truly blessed. Where we lack any of these things, we may find spiritual solace, if we choose to, in helping others to recognize and appreciate these important blessings. All too often they go unnoticed by those who have too much or too little in material wealth.

As the feasts of bountiful harvest time are prepared and enjoyed on Thanksgiving Day, may we vow to spread as much happiness and good will throughout this troubled land as we possibly can. May we take the time to study and appreciate America’s foundations, heritage, and culture - before it became so convoluted with the shallowness of political correctness and the injustice of anti-freedom, anti-Christian philosophies and cultures. America has always been great because the soul of her people is great. That soul is nourished by the bounty of freedom and compassion of Christian faith, whether or not our enemies and persecutors will admit to these facts. Even as they may plot to take down our landmarks and blaspheme our faith, they will never erase the truth from that great soul that built the “shining beacon on the hill.”

One of those aforementioned landmarks stands as a symbol of freedom and compassion, recognized throughout the world, and cherished every bit as much for the poem that describes her symbolism and the American spirit. Read again and enjoy as you reflect on all we have to be thankful for because of who we are and, most assuredly, where we are.

THE NEW COLOSSUS

by: Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)

NOT like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

"The New Colossus" is reprinted from The Poems of Emma Lazarus. Emma Lazarus. New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Co., 1889.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all, and a genuine “Thank You” to everyone who contributes to and enjoys this site. May God continue to bless America! Deb V

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