Texas Times Weekly - Giving Thanks in Texas

Statement

Texas Times Weekly - Giving Thanks in Texas

By: Sen. John Cornyn

At Thanks-Giving Square in downtown Dallas, in houses of worship, and in community kitchens and family tables across the state, Texans heartily observe our national holiday and express gratitude for the gifts of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Many say thanks every day of the year, but Thanksgiving Day is when Americans join together to express gratitude throughout the nation. These annual get-togethers bring family and friends together, and renew our focus on the great American tradition of giving thanks for our blessings.

This year, about 46 million turkeys will be served during Thanksgiving in America. Across Texas, tables will be filled with rich foods produced in our state, easily found in stores by looking for the "Go Texan" label. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers, processors and workers provide much of the harvest that Texans depend on throughout the year.

In addition to Thanksgiving dinner, people fill the holiday with all kinds of relaxation. We like football games, hunting, parades, and "Turkey Trot" fun runs, to name a few.

But in the midst of giving thanks, Texans also take time to focus on those who need our thoughts, prayers and support - especially those away from their homes because of military service or public service jobs that keep them on duty during the holidays. We are thankful for our soldiers and veterans, health care workers, law enforcement officers and first responders. The safety and security they provide put them high on our thank-you lists.

Texas also is blessed by the volunteers who work in food banks, serve at community dinners for the less fortunate, and supply boundless energy and generous support to charitable organizations all year long.

This year will be remembered for the destructive storms that hit parts of Texas. We must continue to supply public and private aid to Texans whose homes and communities were damaged or devastated by Hurricanes Ike and Dolly, and other natural disasters. Many Texans suffered greatly. Their pain continues, and we need to be as vigilant today in helping them get back on their feet as we were in the days following the storms.

It is not unusual to see hearts open their widest when times are toughest. We have to find the best ways to uplift those seeking the American dream or hoping to hold on to it - those needing jobs and those impacted by the state of the economy.

Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas includes the interfaith Chapel of Thanksgiving, which opened during America's bicentennial year, 1976. It serves as "the Home of American Thanksgiving" and "The Center of World Thanksgiving."

The Thanks-Giving Foundation, which spearheads programs to "promote the value and spirit of thanksgiving," describes the tradition well. "Of all the profound gestures of the human heart, thanksgiving is the most communal and the most basic. Its presence creates a universal bond that transcends differences throughout the world."

By expressing gratitude, we acknowledge that our lives depend on the work, contributions and kindness of others. While self-reliance is a cherished virtue in America, it is equally important that we recognize our interdependence and reach out to help each other, at home and abroad.

In "America the Beautiful," we sing about "amber waves of grain" and the "fruited plain." As we count our blessings, let's seek ways to share them with others. That puts words into action. It's the Texas spirit at work, the heart of what makes us Texans.

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