Consider Your Blessings Journal

To reconsider your blessings, start small:
The joy of the sound of a friendly bird's call
Or of that loyal friend who sat with you a spell
Who reminded you of what was going well

I am thinking of writing a gratitude journal. I read that our brain is really good at storing worrisome information as a preliminary way to keep us safe, yet this seems to reinforce the negative in some way as it ruminates in the mind?

Rumination (psychology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rumination is the compulsively focused attention on the symptoms of one's distress, and on its possible causes and consequences, as opposed to its solutions.

‎Theories - ‎Pathology - ‎Types and content of ... - ‎Measurement

The Duty of All

The duty of all
Is to give thanks for the laws
Of Almighty God
And prayerfully pause

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 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 26th 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 favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled 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 favors 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 trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public 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 shown kindness to 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 1789.

Go. Washington

You Can't Take it With You

You can't take it with you
That house full of stuff
Like a burden or two
Give some of it up

This Thanksgiving I intend to give away a lot of stuff.., Part of Thanksgiving is sharing from your bounty.

A Thanksgiving Toast

Home cooking...the family
Warmly gathers close
Giving thanks happily
In prayer, and then the toast:

"For all the years we've known,

For all our kin before,

For the many ways we've grown,

We give thanks to the Lord!"

What better book to turn our hearts to years passed and the many blessings we've enjoyed for generations? God Bless. This book shares games, recipes and crafts from our ancestors of the past.

It is our Duty- Thanksgiving

It is our duty
To solemnly adore
And give thanks fully
To Jesus our Lord

Having been given
Divine providence
Let us more give Him
Sincere penitence

Under His nurturing hand
There's prosperity and peace
May we unify across the land
And let all strife and tension cease



FOR AS MUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: 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 human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth "in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)

wikipedia is looking for funding to keep its wonderful service growing. I am thankful for wikipedia!
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The Country Long at War

The country long at war
Declared a holiday
Though the land grown torn
They paused to give thanks and pray

Many lost their lives
Doing what was right
Unafraid of hard times
They sought God to help them fight

LDS Music - The Olive Tree

Of God, the fullness of the earth is ours
From the beasts of the field to the fowls of the air
For food, He gives us the seasons and flowers
With gladdened hearts, let us give thanks as we share


"The fulness of the earth is yours," says the Lord, "the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used … And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments" (Doctrine and Covenants 59:16-21).

We Held Hands in Prayer

We held hands in prayer
And gave thanks for the meal
For the love we share
And God's care we feel

Thanksgiving toast

May mine and yours
Give thanks this day
Unto the true sourse
Of all that comes our way

The Horn of Plenty

The horn of plenty
Is filled this night
With love and bounty
Praise and delight

Thanks to God

Thanks be to God
For blessed care
We stand in awe
His love so rare

Above All

Above all
Praise God
And give thanks
In all things

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks for all that we are
For our personal talents to journey far
For adversities and for God's plan
For the blessings we receive from His hand

The Faith of Abraham Lincoln

The choicest bounties of heaven
Have been ours, richly given
Preserved with peace and prosperity
Only to forget God because of vanity

Now, in war, we need to ask for clemency
And pray humbly for forgiveness
We are in need of God's mercy
To feel His hand once more upon us

Time passed, everything seemed stricken
I got down on my knees to pray
Mightily to God in heaven
And felt all my fears wash away

For this war was His war
And our cause was His
Though this nation now was torn
God would resolve this whole business

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.” [March 30, 1863]

“Well, I will tell you how it was. In the pinch of the campaign up there (at Gettysburg) when everybody seemed panic stricken and nobody could tell what was going to happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one day and locked the door and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed to Him mightily for victory at Gettysburg. I told Him that this war was His war, and our cause His cause, but we could not stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville… And after that, I don’t know how it was, and I cannot explain it, but soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul. The feeling came that God had taken the whole business into His own hands and that things would go right at Gettysburg and that is why I had no fears about you.” [July 5, 1863]

On Thanksgiving Night

On Thanksgiving night, I went to bed
Having enjoyed good companionship and food
Completely satisfied and content
I shared with Heavenly Father a bit of this mood

Then... I opened the scriptures and love poured out
And I feasted on the words with gratitude
...Reminders of creation and what we're about
And, now of Thanksgiving, I've a new attitude

In one thing, today, I had been amiss
For I'd not sought for God all around me
A walk through nature, the sky... heaven's bliss
For surely, this is ours to enjoy and to see

So, tomorrow, is Thanksgiving two
I plan to become breathless upon a high hill
There to thank my Heavenly Father all anew
For His glorious creation, for the view...and for more still

This Thanksgiving 2

This Thanksgiving may we celebrate life
Especially that which is born of husband and wife
For they are the harvest of the family
Of which we then gather in most happily

Come little children, while we dine, might you sing?
What new bits of knowledge are you offring?
Bring your stories and art for us to enjoy
Share with us your books, a doll or a toy

And then might we share something with you?
Of how special you are to us and to God too
May we all feel love on Thanksgiving leap
May each child be cherished under safe watchkeep

This Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving as we gather together
As families to give thanks and to eat
May we make it our highest endeavor
To celebrate marriage and all that is sweet

Let us hold our dear children and express to them love
Hoping for their future let us teach what we believe
Then let us pray that they may hear us speak to Father above
And make it a beautiful day from dawn until eve

Let us remember our parents who have since passed
And realize they left us as their living legacy
Let us cherish their good lives with gratitude vast
And get out their pictures for all then to see

We Live In a Day of Abundance Galore

We live in a day of abundance galore.
From one day to the next, there is nothing but more.
There's so much to have. There is never an end.
In our quest to obtain, We must purchase and spend.

From the rich to the poor, there's ever more clutter.
Which must find its way to a friend or the gutter.
We need to find out what this all really means.
So we'll not lose our souls chasing meaningless dreams.

From all ends of the world our families gather.
Yet, some of them say they'd really not rather.
On Thanksgiving Day let's show our gratitude,
For all of our blessings, for homes and for great food.
-Family effort 2007

Live in Thanksgiving Daily

In a day of Thanksgiving,
What should be abundant?
Gratitude for just living
Marks a soul triumphant!

I'll do your chores, you do mine
Thankful for what each does.
We will contribute in kind.
In service, without fuss.

There's lots of things we don't have.
Are we then unhappy?
On God focus, and not cave
We will then feel happy.

It takes a little talent
To exercise each day
Three things yield powers immense.
With goals along the way.

First, we must open our eyes.
And see what's bountiful.
The brilliance of the skies.
Makes earth so beautiful.

Next, we must open our hearts.
And fill our souls with good.
Repent, rejoice- there is fresh starts
In living as one should.

Last, we must open our arms.
And serve our fellow man.
With our love to those in alarm-
We're God's help, and we're His hands.

Every day's a new canvas
For this we are grateful.
And with thanks for all that's vast.
We feel joy that's delightful.

-Elder Wirthlin

6, Joseph B. Wirthlin, Sep 2001,
“‘Live in Thanksgiving Daily’, ” Ensign