Page 14 - Leisure Living Magazine Autumn 2017

President Reagan
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and prosperity when so many in this world have neither.”
He returned to that theme in 1987 – in what was perhaps the finest of his eight proclamations – as he recounted how much the founding of our nation was intertwined with religion and faith. He wrote, “Through the decades, through the centuries, in log cabins, country churches, cathedrals, homes, and halls, the American people have paused to give thanks to God, in time of peace and plenty or of danger
and distress.
“Acknowledgment of depen-
dence on God’s favor was, in fact, our fledgling Nation’s very first order of business. When the del- egates to the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774, they overcame discord by uniting in prayer for our country.
Despite the differences among them as they be- gan their work, they found common voice in the 35th Psalm, which concludes with a verse of joy- ous gratitude, ‘And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.’”
After quoting scripture, Reagan returned to the words of George Washington’s first procla- mation. “As we thank the God our first President called ‘that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be,’ we have even greater cause for gratitude than the fresh triumphs that inspired Washington’s prose.”
In his closing words that year, you can hear President Reagan’s wonder and awe of America.
“We have seen the splendor of our natural re- sources spread across the tables of the world, and we have seen the splendor of freedom coursing with new vigor through the channels of history. The cause for which we give thanks, for which so many of our citizens through the years have given their lives, has endured 200 years – a blessing to us and a light to all mankind.”
There it is, summed up so beautifully – “the splendor of freedom...a blessing to us and a light to all mankind.” What better reason to pause and give thanks this day?
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
Reagan’s abiding love for America and his belief in its exceptional place in the world came through loud and clear in his 1982 proclamation. “Above all other nations of the world, America has been especially blessed and should give spe- cial thanks.
“I have always believed that this anointed land was set apart in an uncommon way, that a divine plan placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the Earth who had a special love of faith and freedom.”
In 1983, Reagan used his proclamation to ad- dress the issue of religion and its place in the pub- lic sphere. He harkened back to Lincoln, whose first proclamation was written just days after his speech at Gettysburg.
“In his remarks at Gettysburg,” Reagan wrote, “President Lincoln referred to ours as a Na- tion ‘under God.’ We rejoice that, while we have maintained separate institutions of church and state over our 200 years of freedom, we have at the same time preserved reverence for spiritu- al beliefs. Although we are a pluralistic society, the giving of thanks can be a true bond of unity among our people. We can unite in gratitude for our individual freedoms and individual faiths. We can be united in gratitude for our Nation’s peace
14 |LeisureLiving Autumn 2017
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