Early Thanksgiving

So the fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving in the US (no not the day before the Black Friday Sales). We are celebrating a bit early here in Galmi partly because of the guests we have, and partly because it works out well logistically. Dr. Zoolkowski quoted Abraham Lincoln to me about the creation of Thanksgiving as a National Holiday. You can read his full speech here:

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

The most quoted line (I think) is:
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.

But I also like:

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.

For my American friends:

Thanksgiving (French: Action de grâce), or Thanksgiving Day (Jour de l'action de grâce) is an annual Canadian holiday, occurring on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Thanksgiving corresponds to the English and continental European harvest festival, with churches decorated with cornucopias, pumpkins, corn, wheat sheaves, and other harvest bounty. English and European harvest hymns are sung on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

Thankfully for me, rounds went well this morning, and I was able to enjoy breakfast with a full table at the Zoolkowski home. The pancakes were whole wheat with corn meal – if you haven't tried it you should! There were also camel rides today (see I told you), and some people visited the shops in Galmi.

Dinner is at the CC and everyone contributes something to the meal. Remember the bread from the baker? That's my contribution.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.