WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
Here is a list of things I am especially thankful for--30 blessings for 30 years!
How it works: Each numbered blessing coordinates with that particular year in my life.
Here are numbers 1 through 15:
1: My Mom: Thanks for having me and loving me
2: My Dad: Thanks for always being there for me, and for always supporting our family!
3: Brittany: Thanks for being my best friend from the very beginning.
4: Dance: I am grateful my mom enrolled me into Creative dance at age 4--Dance has almost always been a huge part of my life. I am so thankful to be able to teach right now--I love my dancers (see pictures below)!
5: Health: I remember walking to school each day for Kindergarten. I am grateful I have my health because I love to dance and work out.
6: Honesty and self-confidence: When I was 6, I told some friends I was on a soccer team (I even lied in my journal)! I was never on a soccer team, but wanted to be "cool." I've learned it's much better to be happy with who I am.
7: Kind people: When I was 7, I made up and not-so-nice song about my teacher. He passed away shortly after that, and I felt terrible. I learned it's better not to speak badly of others. You will always regret it.
8: The Gospel of Jesus Christ: I am so grateful I was baptized into the church. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the best gift I've been given. I hope to always be worthy of that gift.
9: Friends: I began making lifelong friends at this age. Most of my good friends were from clogging because we spent so much time together. I am so thankful for all the great times!
10: Teachers and School: In the 5th grade I began caring about my grades--I always tried to get straight A's. I am grateful to all my instructors who took the time to teach me, and weren't afraid to tell me when I had done something wrong.
11: Competition: At age 11 I started getting really competitive. I wanted to have the best handwriting in the class so Mrs. Mostyn would ask me to write on the board; I cried when I was eliminated from the spelling bee, etc. This fostered growth and improvement and I'm thankful for that.
12: Clogging: I LOVE it--always will! When I was 12, I made the All Rocky Mountain Team for the 1st time. It was soooooo hard to make it, and only 12 were chosen out of hundreds of dancers. It was the 1st time I felt real success and achievement, and I'll never forget it. My clogging yrs. were so fun!
13: Humility: At age 13 I ran for Class President--I lost. Yet I thought I had it in the bag! I was sick the day they announced the results, and my mom called the school. When she told me I had lost, I was shocked. But she had always said, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." It's important to stay humble, and to always work hard. Don't take anything for granted!
14: Innocence: When I was 14 I had my 1st boyfriend. He was way more "experienced" at the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. I had never even held a boy's hand! He dumped me because his friends teased him relentlessly for not being able to get to 1st base--only "ready to bunt." Whatever that means! I'm grateful I was strong and naive during those yrs!
15: Role models and hairspray: My drill team instructor became my 1st real role model. She was graceful, kind, beautiful, successful, educated, etc. She was always there for me during a very difficult year. During this year I also had HUGE hair, and went through TONS of hairspray. Brittany says people called me "Mufasa" behind my back! It was probably close to factual, but hey...I still think they should have been kind (refer to #7...I'm thankful for kind people) :)
To Be Continued...
PS-Here are some pics of my dancers!
1 comment:
What a great message! Love the little dancers! Oh so cute! I am going to have live vicariously through you, I don't think Vic would like it much if I dressed up one of the boys for ballet! ha ha
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