Tony Hodge: Gratitude and God: Reflecting on Thanksgiving’s Rich Legacy and the Blessings of America
Thanksgiving has a long history in America. The Pilgrims came to Plymouth in 1620 and braved a hard cold winter in which more than half of them died. They learned how to utilize the land with the help of Squanto and the American Indians. That Autumn, they sat down with those same American Indians for the first thanksgiving dinner. The Pilgrims saw the hand of Almighty God at work and they gave him thanks.
President George Washington declared the first National Day of Thanksgiving on November 26, 1789. In his proclamation, President Washington acknowledged the role God played in our country. “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…” The proclamation set November 26th aside 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…”
We all have so much to be thankful for this year, and I especially have much for which to be thankful. I am so grateful to God for my wife and our two boys, our family, our church, my great friends and mentors, our country, and the freedoms we enjoy.
Of course, I’m also grateful for the West Virginia Republican Party, whose mission it is to elect conservative candidates and promote policies that will secure the blessings of American liberty for generations to come. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Co-Chair of that organization and, this Thanksgiving I’m thankful for all we’ve accomplished together.
As he concluded his first Thanksgiving proclamation, President Washington wrote “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…”
May we all do the same.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tony Hodge is the Co-Chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party