Dear Heavenly Father,
As we gather together to count our blessings, 381 years after
the first Thanksgiving Day, we realize how little appreciation we have
expressed for this thy bounty:
For sunbeams and sunsets and sun-kissed cheeks, for rainbows and
raindrops and rain sticks, for mountain dew and prairie frost, for harvest
moons and shooting stars, we give thee praise.
For Blueberry Hill and Blackberry Creek, for Apple Valley and
Orange County, for Plum Borough and Peachtree City, for Pineapple Park and
Coconut Grove, we give thee praise.
For coal miners and construction workers, for truckers and
bakers, for mail sorters and short-order cooks, for ranch hands and stage
hands, for accountants who keep honest books, for politicians who keep their
promises, for stay-at-home moms and double-shift dads, we give thee praise.
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, we
thank you this day for "Proud to Be an American" and "These Colors Don't
Run," for "Let Freedom Ring" and "Of Thee I Sing," for "Every Heart Beats
True" and for "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."
For Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars, for Green Berets and Gold
Stripes, for the 10th Mountain Division and the 15th Marine Expeditionary
Unit, for the KC-130 Crew and the 101st Airborne Division, for the soldiers
and SEALS and special forces who made the ultimate sacrifice this year, and
for all who continue to protect and to serve, we give thee praise.
For the Border Patrol and citizens on patrol, for the National
Guard and Guardian Angels, for the USO and the VFW, we thank you, O God, our
creator and redeemer.
For the Pentagon rebuilt and Ground Zero restored and the faith
of a nation renewed, for "Semper Paratus" and "Non sibi sed patriae," for
"Never forget" and "Never surrender," for freedom from fear and freedom to
dream, for free minds and free markets, for freedom with responsibility, we
give thee praise.
For the Song of Solomon and the Prayer of St. Francis, for "the
Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer," for "without vision we
perish," for Proverbs 28, for John 3:16, for "The Old Rugged Cross," for
"The Solid Rock," and for "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," we offer eternal
thanks.
For "All men are created equal," for "Tear down this wall," for
"Ask not what your country can do for you," for "Eternal vigilance is the
price of liberty," for "I swear to uphold the laws and Constitution of the
United States of America, against all enemies foreign and domestic," we give
thee praise.
For iron will, for steely resolve, for mettle tested and
time-worn, for uncommon valor that never sleeps, for steady hands, sturdy
legs, broad shoulders, and level heads, for stiff upper lips, for blood,
sweat and tears, for conquering our fears, and for unbending courage in the
face of the unknown, we give thee praise.
O Father, we come to thee on this national day to join with
heart and voice all the people of our blessed land to honor and thank thee.
We ask you, Lord, as our forefathers did in times of strife, "to inspire our
commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and
fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of
Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all
blessings: independence and peace."
For precious life itself in this great nation -- under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all -- we thank thee, O Father.
Amen.
