Thankful...

If you think about it, our country is in a similar state as it was nearly 150 years ago when Abraham Lincoln was president. But the difference is that we'll be celebrating another Thanksgiving whereas in 1863, President Lincoln had just called upon the American people to observe the first Thanksgiving ever in history. And this was at a time where there was little to be grateful for - the nation was embroiled in war and dark shadows were cast on the prospect of peace. But in the battlefield, President Lincoln delivered his famous battlefield address, where he reminded the people that although they were divided by many things, they were still united by the American ideal. There, in Gettysburg, Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving proclamation, setting aside one November day for the people in the North and the South to join together and forget their differences.

This Thanksgiving, as American families celebrate life's bounty, may we remember the men and women on the fields of battle who are eating meals under enemy fire. As we sit on sofas swapping stories, they sit in humvees, patrolling streets. While we gather around televisions watching football, they huddle under cover watching snipers. In the face of these great challenges, may we, like Lincoln, put gratitude first.