Monday, September 11, 2006

The Words of Abraham Lincoln: On Gratitude in A Time of War and Loss

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union."

Abraham Lincoln Source: "Proclamation of Thanksgiving,? Address, October 3, 1863

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Old Abe had quite a way with words .. try posting this again a day or two before Thanksgiving as a refresher to us all as to what the day is all about. It really wasn't set up just for parades and football games.

Julia Buckley said...

I agree, Bill Rohaly.