Add us to your circles!Thanksgiving Thoughts
When clouds swept low the sky at morn,
We planted seed of golden corn,
Stoop low, stoop low!
Upon the newly planted earth
Fell rain to bring the seed to birth,
That maketh corn to grow.
We watched the corn grow tall and green,
We hoed the stubborn weed between,
Stoop low, stoop low!
Some work beyond our human power
By sun and rain brought forth the flower,
That
maketh corn to grow.
The grain grew fat upon the stalk,
The farmers talked the harvest talk,
Stoop low, stoop low!
Now praise to God, who by His might
Has made the harvest golden bright,
Who maketh corn to grow.
Poem by Philip Britts, 1948,
Music by Sylvia Beels, 1949
Readings and Articles for Thanksgiving
More Than a Meal: Giving Thanks for Each Other
For those of us who find it hard to be thankful this year, perhaps it is because a gulf of pain exists between us and those we love. This Thanksgiving can still be an occasion of joy, but only if we are willing to give more than thanks. When we forgive and ask for forgiveness there is hope. And when we have hope we can truly be thankful.
Autumn Corn - a Poem
How does Autumn make you feel? There is a certain loss, but also a thankfulness for harvest.This poem is written by a teenager expressing an autumn mood of strength in adversity.
Thanksgiving Day Proclamation from George Washington
During the time of the founding fathers Thanksgiving was a day set aside for prayer and fasting. This is the first Presidential (instead of state or congressional) Thanksgiving Day proclamation, issued by George Washington in 1789.
Harvest Lullaby - a poem by Philip Britts
Philip Britts (1917-1949) was a scientist, poet, and pacifist, who wrote this poem on the birth of his son in 1943. He spent most of his adult years developing better wheat and corn varieties that could grow in the sub-tropical country of Paraguay. His love for the earth, and thankfullness for the bounty it yields for those who cultivate and work with it, shines in this poem.
Giving Thanks
Being thankful and giving thanks are not the same thing." Being thankful" is a state of being. It’s good to feel grateful. But being happy about one’s fortunes is one thing, giving thanks is another.
Autumn Day - a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke
Rilke’s sturdy lines are not sentimental. They echo matter-of-factness. They reflect inevitability. True, there’s always the chance of another summer-like day. Maybe even two. But this is not the moment to be lulled to sleep. Because even the richest, most fruitful season of life can’t last forever, and “it is time.”