Giving Thanks
We just celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving all across the United States and I am sure there were many great things consumed in the process. Turkey and Ham and all of the accouterments that go along with this traditional day of celebration in our country. It made me think back to the creation of this day and where it originated and what I always saw in my minds eye as the Pilgrims and the Indians were sitting down in 1621 to celebrate. There is much that leans back to that time but it seems to have much less with todays holiday than I once to realized. The first "thanksgiving" we often recognize was celebrated by the pilgrims at the end of the first harvest (July) and lasted over 3 days. It was a commonly accepted practice for a community to gather and celebrate thankfulness for the blessings they had received in their lives but was never narrowed to one specific day or another. It might take place at anytime throughout the year as a pause or reflection on that thought which we should remain highly aware of in our lives. As time went on there numerous accounts of "days of thanksgiving" proclaimed by Governors and civic leaders but never on the same day.
George Washington was the first to acknowledge that we should celebrate such a day in what we now see as our modern day Government of the United States of America in October of 1789 with the following written decree;
"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 favor, 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 public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."
Even with such strong political support it was still not formalized to a specific day but rather a spoken recognition that it should exist for all states and people. I think that there were obviously many fears of imposition by Government considering the past revolutionary war and caution to not dictate or reign over the peoples wishes although the forefathers of our country knew the offer of thanks to be the right thing for the people. As years went on it held some constant concern and Washington again proclaimed it in 1795 to the people, John Quincy Adams issued similar proclamations in 1798 and 1799. No Thanksgiving proclamations were issued by Thomas Jefferson but James Madison renewed the tradition in 1814, in response to resolutions of Congress, at the close of the War of 1812. Madison also declared the holiday twice in 1815; however, none of these was celebrated in autumn. In 1816, Governor Plumer of New Hampshire appointed Thursday, November 14 to be observed as a day of Public Thanksgiving and Governor Brooks of Massachusetts appointed Thursday, November 28 to be "observed throughout that State as a day of Thanksgiving". A Thanksgiving Day was annually appointed by the governor of New York from 1817. In some of the Southern States, there was opposition to the observance of such a day on the ground that it was a relic of Puritanic bigotry, but by 1858 proclamations appointing a day of thanksgiving were issued by the governors of 25 states and two territories. Finally in 1863 it was Abraham Lincoln that created the actual proclamation by our Federal Government that we should see the 4th Thursday of every November as a day of Thanks.
But do we?
I can remember my entire life full of these holidays and do not ever remember being taught the truest meaning of "giving" and "thanks" when placed together. Do not get me wrong my family was full of good people who were well meaning. We always said grace over the food prior to engorging ourselves, watching the cowboys only to slip quietly off into our respective food comas. Eventually to wake up and wander back to the table full of plenty make a turkey sandwich and repeat the same process. I can remember for days after wards looking forward to Turkey sandwiches until after two or three days there had been so much turkey that you were happy that the next Thanksgiving was a full year away!
As I grow in life I find myself reflecting more and more on the meaning of so many things and this again was one of them. I love the celebration that takes place with lots of people and friends but I enjoy more the peace of just being and learning what thanks is all about. I was talking with a friend of mine this morning and we discussed the 3 stages of life by Andrew Carnegie. Learn all you can in the first 3rd of your life, Earn all you can in the Second Third of your life and Give all you can with the last Third of your life. Carnegie was great at all three especially from a financial point. I think there should be more emphasis placed upon the wisdom he earned in the first and second portions of his life but it is not our natural tendency to do so. We saw the 480 million he accumulated in 1901 and gave away all but 30 million before his death and that is an easy number to count. I think there is just as much worth, if not more, to the struggles in knowledge he gained in accumulating his fortune. I think to understand how to give of ourselves in our lives is our greatest accomplishment. I told my friend Jim as we discussed the subject that there is a 4th phase in my opinion and that is to find peace with the mark you have left and transfer that responsibility of giving to someone else.
But How?
In order to successfully complete each phase of life we must first learn to give thanks. In order to learn this lesson, which is tough when we are young and impetuous, we must be thankful for the opportunities we have (all of them). In order to get the most from this phase finding out how to be thankful for each challenge, for each struggle, for our lack of understanding. This is the foundation for a great life! It seems to be easy when we have enough money, knowledge and comforts that we all desire each day but to start the path of life and learn thankfulness in spite of whatever circumstances we have is the greatest knowledge of all. This is the most necessary component that carries over your entire life. It will not matter if you start your life with a great family behind you, with a plethora of perceived opportunity and a great university to launch from or if you start as a lone ranger fighting to find the food for your next meal and not having the luxury of a family to help get you started. In fact it sometimes could even be considered a tougher truth to find when we have too much comfort starting out in life verses when we have to find the comfort by creating it out of an absolute need. I have seen great lives lived by people who grew up in homes filled with love and opportunity and support and I have seen great lives lived by those who grew up with so little in life because they had to start and be responsible for all outcomes because there was no backup plan. The so called "chains of poverty" created names like Lincoln, Walton, Dyer, Ford, Carnegie and that list can go on forever. You can also learn to be thankful and come from a stable family with financial security like Roosevelt, Hill, Gates, Washington and again the list goes on forever as well.
So what is the difference?
Knowing how to play the game of life. Knowing how to PLAY the game of life! Being thankful for the opportunity to get up and breathe and think and live and give creates the foundation for learning that always yields to great earnings. The more we study this equation the more we find at our core the test of knowing how to be thankful at all times. I have known and seen many people create some really cool things with their lives but the greatest test is when we face adversity of all kinds, How do we choose to respond? Our responses are directly linked to the foundation we learned in the first phase.
Although this foundation we are building never ceases to grow and that is something I am very thankful for. Even when I may have missed some of the learning I should have in my life to build this foundation life continues to yield opportunity which gives me a choice to make again. Do I find the value and appreciation in this new opportunity or the fear and frustration in the next "chapter" I face.
I see this game more and more clearly in life and it is about my yielding to life's circumstances knowing that every measure has a great teaching waiting to be learned. I think the greater we understand this absolute appreciation the more we will Learn and Earn in wealth but more especially in Wisdom. The third phase of dispensation or giving it away can easily be attached to sharing of money and finances but the greater gift is the knowledge you have learned in life to be a better you. The more focused we remain on being better at being us the more we will be able to give and I think that this phase is increasingly full of being thankful. This is a point where our lives are becoming so focused on the real meaning of life which is to share with others and give to others that our appreciation for life and all it brings just naturally sores upwards.
I love reading and learning of history and it repeats so often the same lessons and knowledge of those who have learned before us and it is without question the easiest way to succeed. Copy what has worked before. I love that our nations leaders and founders knew this truth so well to keep it alive as a constant reminder that we should give thanks. They took the time to dedicate day after day, year after year, proclamation after proclamation to tell the people they could to be thankful as it is the key to life. I love that we formalized this process in 1863 but I love even more when we go back to the roots of this history and found out that it was not a specific day but rather a way of life. It was not centered on food or football but simply an appreciation for the life we have and ALL that it brings, Strong harvest, weak harvest or no harvest the key to life is in being thankful for all that it brings. The 3 phases Carnegie spoke of are all maximized by our ability to be thankful.
Learn all you can and be thankful for the package it comes in no matter how it is wrapped.
Earn all you can in wisdom and wealth and be thankful that these accumulations will be your gifts to others while you are alive.
Give all you can and be thankful for the opportunity to share what you have gained in life.
Each phase is successful if you are thankful. The fourth phase is one I am not in yet, where I personally see our life is coming to terms with why you were here on earth and what you were here to accomplish. It is about us then giving that mantle of responsibility to those behind you in order to leave it a little better than we found it. This phase becomes a celebration for thanks for a life well lived and peacefulness at knowing what we have fulfilled. Know what you are thankful for today and then choosing to be reminded of it daily is the only way to succeed in life and each phase. Enjoy your day, your learning, your earnings and your givings these are the greatest gifts also known as Charity. Never give to get but all receiving certainly starts with giving.
Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you this afternoon!
Brian
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