Echoes of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is here and that gives our entire team at R&A Contracting time to pause, reflect, and be present in the moment. For those of us here in the U.S., many of us know the hustle-and-bustle of Thanksgiving. It’s the kickstart for the holiday season in the minds of many, even though department stores and home improvement outlets have been hawking Christmas decorations since Labor Day.
What does Thanksgiving mean for us as Americans, as husbands and wives, parents, service providers, and for a number of our team members, as followers of Jesus? This Thanksgiving is about the echoes of Thanksgiving, those voices, conversations, moments, and memories we see over the year that have shaped our nation and for many of us, our faith.
The story of the ‘first’ Thanksgiving in the New World may be familiar to you. It’s the story of the Pilgrims, Puritans as they were more formally known at the time, who left Europe and sailed to a better life west of England. Their courage is what inspires us to seek a better world for everyone, no matter who we are and no matter where we’ve been.
These brave travelers landed in what we now call Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was the Wampanoag Native Americans who met and befriended the newcomers. It was the generosity and wisdom of the Wampanoags that inspire us to be generous with our knowledge and wise in how we engage in every conversation with those around us.
It was after the first full year of life, and sadly much death, in Plymouth that the Puritans and the Wampanoag tribe joined together for a feast. That first feast likely looked quite different than what you may see on your dinner table for Thanksgiving this year. We recognize life changes over time, even dramatic changes from last year to this year. Our team sees change as a God-ordained opportunity to reflect who we are, what He’s called us to embody, and how we can best pursue a healthier, stronger, more meaningful impact through change.
President George Washington called for a national day of thanksgiving after a historic victory over the British at Saratoga in 1777. He again called for a day of thanksgiving following the end of the Revolutionary War and the inception of the Constitution. The start of this great nation reminds us that what is new and fresh in our lives and our work also comes with great responsibility. We’re thankful this year for all of the new faces, new clients, and new opportunities we experienced because of God’s blessing. With these opportunities also comes a tremendous responsibility to serve everyone as we would want to be served.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November a national holiday of Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day as we now know and refer to as Americans. What you may not recognize is that same year, 1863, saw one of the most historic battles in the Civil War, the battle of Gettysburg from July 1st-3rd. This Civil War threatened to tear apart one of the greatest nations in the history of the world except for the grace of God holding us together.
As you read this, you may recognize your own type of civil war or unrest that threatens your hope and joy this Thanksgiving. Each of us carries far more struggles and angst, even heartache, than the world may even know. We pray for you to find peace and for your home, your heart, and your family to be protected from division. There is hope for the future, and we want you to know you’re not alone in your fight for what’s good and right and true in this world.
Over the years, the U.S.A. has faced foes and fears inside and beyond our borders. We’ve seen faith wane and surge like the tide. Our political, financial, and personal interests have been tested, broken, and rebuilt anew. For many of us, we feel the weight of stress now more than ever because of our country’s divided interests. What we feel more than this weight is the presence of a good, loving, generous Heavenly Father who lavishes His gifts on us in so many ways.
To all of our customers, contacts, colleagues, and connections inside our commercial roofing industry, we are so thankful for the honor of serving you.
To our team members, the staff who keep our growing operation humming along each week, we thank God for you and your work.
To our community leaders, aldermen, pastors, elected officials, and those we look to for leading our great city of St. Louis, we pray for you every day and thank God for your impact on our neighborhoods and communities.
To our leaders in Washington, D.C., we pray for you to have wisdom, kindness, faith, and humility with the daunting and precious task of leading our nation well.
And to you, the one who took the time to be reminded of Thanksgiving, we thank God for you. May the echoes of Thanksgiving past and the hope for many Thanksgivings to come give you a fresh wind of courage, hope, and faith to pursue your God-given calling in life.
We are blessed, and we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.
– The R&A Contracting team