Thanksgiving Greetings

Willem van Aelst, 16 May 1627 – in or after 1683

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Our rural ancestors, with little blest,
Patient of labour when the end was rest,
Indulged the day that housed their annual grain,
With feasts, and off'rings, and a thankful strain.
~Alexander Pope

(21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744)

German "Erntedankfest"

Remember God's bounty in the year. 

String the pearls of His favor. 

Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! 

Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude! 

~Henry Ward Beecher

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Thanksgiving Thoughts....

John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
 
"As we express our gratitude, 

we must never forget 

that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, 

but to live by them."

 
Luis Egidio Meléndez, 1772

 

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Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. 

It turns what we have into enough, and more. 

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. 

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, 

a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, 

and creates a vision for tomorrow.
by Melody Beattie 

 

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Luis Meléndez, circa 1771

 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Remark:
Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) was a Spanish painter. 
Although he received little acclaim during his lifetime and died in poverty,
Meléndez is recognized today as the greatest Spanish still-life painter of the 18th century. 
His mastery of composition and light, 
and his remarkable ability to convey the volume and texture of individual objects 
enabled him to transform the most mundane of kitchen fare into powerful images.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Egidio_Mel%C3%A9ndez