In October 1789, President George Washington declared his support for a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”
Today, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the many blessings you have in your life. In a time where cholera has killed over 1500 Haitians, where almost one in four adults in Botswana has HIV, and where 3 million residents of India have tuberculosis, you should take a few minutes to appreciate the health that you and your family hopefully enjoy.
In fact, the surgeon general now recommends that families take a minute to talk about their health history during the Thanksgiving feast. True, Thanksgiving is one of the times where families congregate, but will families put down the turkey and stop watching football to talk about each person’s health history? I am doubtful, but discussing family health history is an important goal.
In addition, I would like to thank all of you who read my blog. Your comments and feedback have been invaluable. I wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
For Packers fans: A Green Bay thank you note.