Today is a national holiday in my homeland.  It's not celebrated officially as such here in the Netherlands (though we will be organizing aspecial feast with some American friends this Saturday)... But certainly, the concept of giving thanks is not limited to any one nation or culture.  The poem below, for example, was originally written by a Jewish king in the 10th Century BC...

Psalm 100 (A Thanksgiving Psalm)

On your feet now -- applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter,
      sing yourselves into his presence.
Know this: God is God, and God, God.
      He made us; we didn't make him.
      We're his people, his well-tended sheep.
Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
      Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
      Thank him. Worship him.
For God is sheer beauty,
      all-generous in love,
      loyal always and ever. 

And then, the other day, Marci came across another poem from the Book of Psalms which offers a unique message for our times -- a time in which we are all pilgrims.

Psalm 126 (A Pilgrim Song)

It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
      when God returned Zion's exiles.
   We laughed, we sang,
      we couldn't believe our good fortune.
   We were the talk of the nations—
      "God was wonderful to them!"
   God was wonderful to us;
      we are one happy people.
And now, God, do it again—
      bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
   So those who planted their crops in despair
      will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
   So those who went off with heavy hearts
      will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

At any rate, for those of you in America -- I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday.  And for the rest of us,  all around the world, I encourage you to give thanks, too.