For 10 years, I shared the same Thanksgiving prayer I wrote back in 2009.
This year is like no other, so I made a few updates . . .
May this time of year find you and your family in good health and good spirit, as we come together in our hearts to be thankful for our blessings.
May the years ahead be your best and brightest, filled with good health, happiness, love, success, and prosperity.
May we have the strength to pursue justice and peace, especially for those who cannot do so themselves.
May we cherish the holiday season, enjoying the safely distant or remote company of good friends and family.
May your Thanksgiving tables overflow with scrumptious dishes and be surrounded by a handful of warm hearts.
May those of us who have the capacity to give, remember those in need now and always.
May we appreciate the risks and sacrifices of everyone on the frontlines keeping us healthy and safe.
May we remember to give thanks and count our blessings throughout the year, focusing on all that is positive and good.
What prayers were shared at the first harvest feast in the colonies?
The Pilgrims were deeply religious people. According to the Pilgrim Hall Museum, while the exact prayers and remarks shared at the first harvest feast in the colonies in 1621 are unknown, the following prayer shared by George Webb in 1625 would have been typical for the occasion:
O Lord our God and heavenly Father, which of Thy unspeakable mercy towards us, hast provided meate and drinke for the nourishment of our weake bodies. Grant us peace to use them reverently, as from Thy hands, with thankful hearts: let Thy blessing rest upon these Thy good creatures, to our comfort and sustentation: and grant we humbly beseech Thee, good Lord, that as we doe hunger and thirst for this food of our bodies, so our soules may earnestly long after the food of eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.
George Webb, “Short direction for the daily exercise of the Christian,” 1625. Courtesy of Plimoth Plantation.