Happy Thanksgiving!

This week on Wisdom and Wealth I share a little bit more about our family traditions and why I love this week so much! You can check out the podcast below!

With tomorrow being thanksgiving, I wanted to let you all in on a family tradition of ours. As part of our gathering together, we read Governor Bradford’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, President Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation and also two editorials from the Walls Street Journal which have run on the day before thanksgiving since 1961.

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We do this because it is important for our family to remember why we are celebrating and the origins of the idea. Frankly, this holiday rooted in gratitude has always been my favorite family holiday…not to mention national holiday. First, we read Bradford’s account of leaving Leyden. It is easy to forget how much the original pilgrims gave up to come here. Furthermore, they had no idea what they were going to encounter upon arrival. So they began doing ordinary things. They began to build.

Next, we read Bradford’s original Thanksgiving proclamation. At this point I try to remind everyone that nearly half the Pilgrim’s passed away in the first few months of arriving. Bradford because it gives my kids an idea of just how unlikely their three-year celebration was. His own wife fell overboard in the Princetown harbor and drowned, and half those who boarded the Mayflower died that first winter. ?

Next, we read Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation. It is anchored in gratitude for the blessings of our creator and hopeful in that it asks that we all pray for the ability to fulfill our obligations in all phases of life and thereby bless our neighbors. If anyone was intimately aware of our nation’s shortcomings and the moments where failure seemed imminent it was Washington.

The point of taking my family through this exercise is to hopefully begin setting the groundwork for gratitude in their lives at an early age. How can you look back at a heritage as rich as ours and not feel some sense of obligation to steward that sacrifice wisely? When the carnival barkers on cable news begin selling doom and gloom, I want them to remember that ours is a history of normal people, doing normal things, because they loved and believed in their neighbor. More importantly, they believed in the future of what their children’s generation could be. All around us are those willing to sell us despair and confusion or even outrage to pocket a small dollar donation or add revenue.

I find it helpful to remind myself of the facts measured on sites like humanprogress.org . The fact of the matter is we live in a relatively peaceful time, the world has never had such an abundant food supply, poverty is at an all-time low. If you could choose any period in history to live, I’d dare say our current time is the one you’d choose. It is good to remind each other of these things periodically. As you look around your table, remember the incredible wealth that is represented there. Rich and meaningful relationships that Lord willing you’ll have many more years to share life with.

As I look around my thanksgiving table, I cannot help but be reminded of God’s kindness, favor, faithfulness and goodness. Each of the faces there are a gift that I feel privileged to know and serve. I am blessed to be helping provide for their future and equip them for their purpose in life. Helping make their world larger enlarges my own world.

As I think about the client families I serve, I am humbled and grateful for the faith and trust you place in me to help guide you through life’s questions. Thank you for trusting in me and enabling me to fulfill my life’s purpose. It is a privilege.?

I’ll leave things there for now. Please know that Our family wishes you and your family a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving. May your year ahead be filled with continued Truth, Beauty and Goodness.