Thanksgiving is a time to gather together with family and friends and give thanks for our many blessings.

We have much to be thankful for as Americans. We are blessed to live in the greatest nation on Earth, where everyone has the chance — through hard work and determination — to achieve the American Dream.

Our first Thanksgiving in 1621 was born out of an expression of gratefulness for a bountiful harvest. More than 150 years later, President Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day as a time to rejoice in a young nation’s freedom and liberty. After falling out of favor, the holiday was reborn by President Lincoln in 1863 as a time to unite a country torn apart by civil war.

While much has changed in the centuries since the first Thanksgiving, coming home to a simpler life remains at the heart of the holiday.

Even in a modern, digital world where we are constantly connected and seemingly always busy, Thanksgiving is still rooted in the enduring foundations of family, friends and freedom.

As southwest Michigan families gather to enjoy turkey and honor other family traditions, I encourage everyone to recognize the true spirit
of Thanksgiving.

It is a moment to take the weight of the world off our shoulders, connect with our loved ones, give thanks for the many blessings that have been bestowed on us and celebrate the most cherished thing we have: one another.

In the bustle of the holiday, I hope we will all take time to warmly express gratitude to our family and friends for their love and friendship throughout the year, and to remember that we are all truly blessed to live in the land of the free.

I also encourage everyone to give thanks for the brave men and women who protect our liberty, especially those who are unable to be with their families as they serve our country.

May God bless you and fill your hearts and homes with love.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents southwest Michigan.