Despite the problems Americans have faced over our many years of existence, we, as a nation, have always had much for which to be thankful. Our spacious and bountiful land grants us many benefits, and our spirit has allowed us to prosper. As a people we have long recognized this providence. Early in our history, our founding fathers sought to mark this happy circumstance with a day of thanksgiving. The Puritan settlers of New England are, of course, noted for having celebrated the first American day of thanks, but as the nation grew, several of our presidents set aside special days for observance. Beginning in 1777, while we were still engaged in a war for our very being, and the British still occupied New York, Samuel Adams, then a delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, but later to lead the nation as president, created the first draft for a proclaimed day of thanksgiving. And thus began a tradition that continued almost every year as succeeding leaders annually proclaimed special days of observance. But each year the day was proclaimed anew.
It fell to Abraham Lincoln to finally install a National Day of Thanksgiving among our official annual holidays. He did so in 1863, signing papers that made it a national holiday to be celebrated annually on the last Thursday in November. And so it continues on down to the present.
Thanksgiving is a day when we all indulge in feasting, family and for many of us a good football game or two. And in addition, since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, for many people the following Friday has also become a de facto holiday of sorts, when many of us engage in a frenzy of pre holiday shopping known as Black Friday.
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate this Thanksgiving, we at Mobile Ed want to wish you all a wonderful day and a happy weekend filled with all the delights of family and friends. This year has been a happy one at Mobile Ed, with the creation of a brand new science program of which we are extremely proud (The STEM Museum), the welcoming home of several fine performers who have returned to our fold after some absences, and with business beginning to recover finally, as the recession of 2008 fades into history. We have much for which to be thankful, and we do give thanks, especially to you, our loyal clients who choose to honor us and bring our programs into your schools each year. Without you we are nothing. Together, we can change the future by helping our young to recognize the potential for greatness that exists within each and every one of them.
And so on this 26th of November, we say thank you, loudly and with humble pride, and we wish all of you the happiest and most fruitful day of thanksgiving ever!
Bon Appetit!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
