Today, the United States celebrates the holiday of Thanksgiving. On October 3, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the final Thursday in November as a “Day of Thanksgiving and Praise”. His proclamation reflects his faith and acknowledged his belief that God is the source of the nation’s bounty.
The country has changed greatly since Lincoln’s time. We’ve been through periods of togetherness and periods of separation. We’ve experienced wars (both hot and cold) as well as times of peace and economic growth.
Though each of these periods, our nation has grown. We are still in the process of becoming the more perfect union envisioned in the preamble to the constitution. We’re learning about ourselves as a people, the good and bads of our history and the historical wrongs that we, as a nation, have committed. We’re trying to atone for them and learn from them.
Quoting Professor Jeff Breckenridge (as written by Aaron Sorkin in the West Wing), “The seal, the pyramid, it’s unfinished. With the eye of God looking over it. And the words Annuit Coeptis. He, God, Favors our Undertaking. The seal is meant to be unfinished, because this country’s meant to be unfinished. We’re meant to keep doing better. We’re meant to keep discussing and debating and we’re meant to read books by great historical scholars and then talk about them..”
One of the many things I choose to be thankful for today is that the pyramid is unfinished, that we’re striving to be a more perfect union, not a perfect one. Growth and learning is a part of our nation’s DNA. I choose to be thankful for the good that our nation has done, while being mindful of the bad.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours today.
Cruesbreck Flags 