Dear NAHREP Friends,

We are about to celebrate the quintessential American holiday, Thanksgiving Day.

The first feast of thanksgiving is attributed to the pilgrims that settled in Plymouth Massachusetts:

In the fall of 1621 the pilgrims celebrated over a three day period for their harvest bounty, surviving a tough first winter and learning from the hospitable local Indians how to plant a crop that would sustain them through the forthcoming winter.

After that first celebration which was never repeated again, William Bradford, Governor of the Plymouth colony, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving, henceforth setting aside a day each fall for that purpose. As a result, this practice was observed each year and grew from settlement to settlement and then from colony to colony and state to state. Thanksgiving Day became a uniquely American tradition for hundreds of years as a day of worship to give thanks to God: a day in which the overwhelming majority of the population attended a religious service in the morning and prepared a FAMILY feast in the evening, a day for the family to give thanks to God.

In 1789 George Washington, our first President proclaimed the first national day of thanksgiving beginning with these words:

“WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably.”

Thanksgiving Day was finally set aside as the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.


WE have much for which to be grateful to our Creator, we have dealt with the challenges of many difficulties of our own this year and we have also laid the foundation for a better life ahead. The only limits to what we may achieve are our very own vision, our talents and our courage; they are amongst the blessings that are afforded by freedom.

On Thursday, as you are gathered with your family and loved ones remembering all the wonderful things for which you are grateful, remember to give thanks for our ability to work together to honorably serve our neighbors, for our industry, for our freedoms and for granting us another day that we may use our talents in the service of our fellow citizens.

It is a blessing to count you amongst my friends and colleagues.

May Thanksgiving Day be filled with true gratitude for your family’s bounty and may hope for the future and the Lord’s Peace abide in your hearts and homes.

Tino


Tino Diaz
VERTEX Mortgage Bankers
9485 SW 72 Street, Suite A-240
Miami, Florida 33173
305-598-4918 fax
800-283-5313 xt 131 Toll Free
305-503-5626 xt 131