Remembering the Blessings

To give thanks is to remember. The human soul, prone to forgetfulness, often overlooks the invisible mercies that sustain it. Gratitude, then, is not a passive feeling but a deliberate act of the will, a sacred recollection of grace. The psalmist bids us, "Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." In these words, we find that thanksgiving is more than seasonal-it is an awakening of memory, a turning of the heart toward the eternal Giver of all good things.

When the Pilgrims gathered at Plymouth after a bitter winter, their thanksgiving was not for the abundance of possessions but for the endurance of faith. They remembered the Lord's providence in scarcity. His guidance through wilderness, and His companionship in sorrow. Their gratitude was born from remembrance, not from ease. And so, it must be with us: thanksgiving rooted not in circumstance, but in the steadfast goodness of God.