Many of our friends from outside the USA remain curious about the unique holiday we celebrate this Thursday. Americans carve and serve others baked turkeys, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes (yams), squash (marrow), cider, pumpkin pie and commemorate the first of many days recorded in our national history especially devoted to giving God thanks.

Most of the official days of thanksgiving called by our nation's presidents were days of prayer and fasting rather than parades and feasting; humiliation and repentance rather than patriotic pride and football games.

The first European settlers in Massachusetts, known as the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth after 66 days at sea in December of 1620. Half their number died by the arrival of spring. According to William Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation , the privilege of being able to worship God freely according to conscience was worth all their hardships. The mercies of God were magnified in the eyes of both settlers and the native Americans when they sought divine intervention to protect their crops from perishing in the summer drought. According to Bradford's journal, on a day when there was no cloud in the sky the Pilgrims petitioned God for rain. By that afternoon the gentlest of rains suddenly appeared to thoroughly drench the soil, sparing the crops for what would be an abundant harvest.

Over 155 years later, the nation's first president, George Washington, perceived the danger of the United States growing arrogant as if it had prospered through some genius of its own and called for national days of fasting, prayer and supplication. President John Adams continued the tradition. Abraham Lincoln in 1863 called for an official November holiday devoted to the giving of thanks.

We need to practice the 'thanks giving' habit. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1Thessalonians 5:18). The giving of thanks reminds us that we are recipients of blessing in an ecosystem of grace. Think of our own dependence upon the sun for warmth, upon the oxygen that we breathe, and the fact that by Divine Design we are so distanced from the sun not to burn and near enough not to freeze and that the perfect conditions exist on our planet for the sustenance of physical human life. Even so God has provided all in Christ perfect conditions for spiritual life and godliness.

We are like the child who, upon returning from a birthday party in the home of his schoolmate, was asked by his parents if he thanked the host. "No", the child responded. "When the boy in front of me thanked Johnny's mother, she told him not to mention it, so I didn't."

When it comes to thankfulness, most of us don't mention it. There is an inner 'don't mention it' bias in our old sin nature. The Scriptures warn us that when we cease to give thanks the human spirit becomes twisted. The Book of Romans records that ingratitude precipitates a downward spiral of spiritual, moral and social deterioration.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21).

Today's T.G.I.M. is being written late Sunday night at the Dallas - Fort Worth Airport where the departure of our connection flight to be with my wife's family in Phoenix has been delayed till 1 AM due to stormy weather. I am thankful for the crew that are spending so much time de-icing the aircraft. On the flight from Boston to Dallas, my wife and I had a lively discussion with a man sitting next to us who was an avalanche survivor. He was able to swim in the moving snow to rescue a fellow mountaineer who was buried near him. Thanksgiving has a special meaning to him.

What does thanksgiving mean to you? Get in the habit of giving thanks for the kindnesses you are shown each day. Go ahead. Mention it.

In an attitude of gratitude,