Look for Blessings, and See Them as Mercies
Finally, Lincoln points out that even in the midst of unimaginable trial, there are daily mercies for which we can give thanks. His proclamations list many of them: fruitful fields and healthful skies; peace with foreign nations; a flourishing industrial economy; health on battlefield and home front; growth of the free population “by emancipation and by immigration”; and the fortitude to withstand the trial at hand.
November 26, 1863
from:
http://thefederalist.com/2017/11/20/civil-war-gave-us-todays-thanksgiving-can-teach-us/
elfcroft 