[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 121, 110th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

121 STAT. 2812
 
PROCLAMATION 8204--NOV. 15, 2007


Proclamation 8204 of November 15, 2007
Thanksgiving Day, 2007
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Americans are a grateful people, ever mindful of the many ways we have
been blessed. On Thanksgiving Day, we lift our hearts in gratitude for
the freedoms we enjoy, the people we love, and the gifts of our
prosperous land.
Our country was founded by men and women who realized their dependence
on God and were humbled by His providence and grace. The early explorers
and settlers who arrived in this land gave thanks for God's protection
and for the extraordinary natural abundance they found. Since the first
National Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by President George
Washington, Americans have come together to offer thanks for our many
blessings. We recall the great privilege it is to live in a land where
freedom is the right of every person and where all can pursue their
dreams. We express our deep appreciation for the sacrifices of the
honorable men and women in uniform who defend liberty. As they work to
advance the cause of freedom, our Nation keeps these brave individuals
and their families in our thoughts, and we pray for their safe return.
While Thanksgiving is a time to gather in a spirit of gratitude with
family, friends, and neighbors, it is also an opportunity to serve
others and to share our blessings with those in need. By answering the
universal call to love a neighbor as we want to be loved ourselves, we
make our Nation a more hopeful and caring place.
This Thanksgiving, may we reflect upon the past year with gratefulness
and look toward the future with hope. Let us give thanks for all we have
been given and ask God to continue to bless our families and our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 22,
2007, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to
gather together in their homes and places of worship with family,
friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give
thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
second.
GEORGE W. BUSH