IN A BOUNTIFUL LAND WITH A BIRTHRIGHT OF LIBERTY

America settles in today to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday unique to this nation yet with a sentiment that knows no territorial bounds. In various cultures and countries around the world, an occasion is reserved to acknowledge the blessings of life. It should not escape us, though, that we Americans stand as uniquely fortunate, having been granted a bountiful land and a birthright of liberty. It makes our intentions on this day all the more genuine, and our prayers of thanks all the more heartfelt.

As is well known, Thanksgiving has its origin in the earliest days of American life, held as a harvest ritual from the pilgrims' time on until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national day of thanks in 1863. While this country has changed markedly since those times, the fundamental recognition of our well-being, delivered on this day, has not shifted in purpose or content. Regardless of the state of technology or politics or national demeanor, this holiday remains substantially intact; though it should be a daily obligation to savor the grace we've been bestowed, Thanksgiving remains dependable as a reminder of how good things are.

Foremost in our hearts today should be gladness that America marks this holiday season at peace. While military forces are at risk carrying out humanitarian aims in world trouble spots, this nation celebrates Thanksgiving 1993 in no armed conflict. In recent years gone by, we've marked this day with prayers for troops stationed abroad in preparation for liberating Kuwait. With that so fresh in our memory, the thanks we give this day is especially meaningful.

Still, some might be excused in pointing out the hardships 1993 brought to this region. The mighty flood of this summer left scars on people and their property that linger into the winter. Some of those most dramatically affected by the high water are those able to afford it least. While there is ultimately no understanding of why a natural disaster chooses its time and place, it is perhaps meaningful to consider the expression that God doesn't provide His children with more of a burden than they can handle. In a large sense, too, the harshness of the flood was contrasted by the goodness it brought out in the people who fought the water and administered comfort to its victims. Their spirit inspires us still.

And during a time when the nation struggles to regain its economic footing, this community and region can be thankful the downturn was not too precipitous. Most who want jobs in this county can get them. Prosperity is possible, and as Americans we ask for only a fighting chance.

American Indians and their largess made the first Thanksgiving possible. Note then that a chief of the Shawnee tribe, Tecumsah, said in a later era, "If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." In fact, Thanksgiving, for all its devotion to gatherings and family, symbolizes something intensely personal. It is for each of us to consider how blessed we are on this day.