"An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott

Today, in celebration of the American holiday "Thanksgiving Day," I want to share with you a recording of short story written by Louisa May Alcott, called "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving."

The audio file has no commentary—it's merely an unabridged reading of the story—and is suitable for you to share with your children as a worthwhile story to enjoy this time of year.

But this story is filled with financial lessons for those with ears to hear.

As you listen to a life of long ago (circa 1830), I'd encourage you to reflect on the life that you and I now live in comparison.

For me, this reflection fills me with Thanksgiving, which is the starting point of living a rich life now.

You are rich. I am rich. Let's realize it and act appropriately.

Joshua

• If you prefer to read the story to your children yourself, here is the text I read: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/alcott/thanksgiving/thanksgiving.html 

Here are a few poem and prayers of Thanksgiving you may enjoy as well:

O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
~~William Shakespeare 1564-1616

May all who share these gifts today
Be blessed by Thee, we humbly pray.
What God gives and what we take
'Tis a gift for Christ his sake;

Be the meal of beans or peas,
God be thanked for those and these;
Have we flesh or have we fish,
All are fragments from His dish.
~~Robert Herrick 1591-1674

Prayer
Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank thee for this place in which we dwell, for the love that unites us, for the peace accorded to us this day, for the health, for the food, and the bright skies that make our lives delightful, for our friends in all parts of the earth.

Give us courage, gaiety, and the quiet mind. Spare to us our friends, soften us to our enemies. Bless us, if may be, in all our innocent endeavours. If may not, give us the strength to encounter that which is to come. May we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath, and in all changes of fortune loyal and loving to one another.

As the clay to the potter, as the windmill to the wind, as the children of their sire, we beseech of Thee this help and mercy for Christ's sake. Amen.
~~Robert Louis Stevenson