Giving Thanks
By: Governor Kristi Noem
November 17, 2023
Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season. As we spend time with family and friends during this special time of year, many of us may have a tradition of going around the table and sharing what we’re thankful for. It is important to take this time to think of all the things in our lives we can be grateful for. But it is even more important for us to remember to be thankful all year long.
The first verse of Psalm 136 reads, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” This verse doesn’t tell us to give thanks to the Lord on Thanksgiving or to give thanks to the Lord on Christmas and Easter. It simply tells us to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. We can be thankful for the gifts that God has given us every single day.
In America, we have even more to be grateful for. Our founders built this nation on the ideal that each and every one of us have God-given rights that no government can take away. Brave men and women throughout history have fought and died to preserve those rights. Today, we get to enjoy our rights and our Freedoms because of the sacrifices made by those who came before us.
This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, I am thankful for South Dakota. I am proud to be from a state that still respects those core principles and ideals that our founders risked their lives for. I am proud to be from a state that embodies the true meaning of the American Dream. And I am proud to be from a state that values hard work, personal responsibility, and patriotism.
More than just the state itself, I am grateful for the people of South Dakota. They inspire me daily. I have watched South Dakotans get up and work hard my entire life. I truly believe that you cannot find a harder working group of people.
South Dakotans work to take care of their families. They do not do anything halfheartedly. When a South Dakotan sets their mind to something, you can rest assured that they’re going to accomplish it. Our state has thrived because of our people and because of our attitude.
In South Dakota, we never give up. We never say, “good enough.” We know that we can always do better, always strive for more. That is the attitude that I have every day when I go to work. And I am thankful that it is the attitude of so many folks across our great state.
This holiday season, I hope you are able to spend time with those closest to you. I hope you share what you are thankful for. But I also hope that you keep the spirit of the holidays with you all year round.
To the people of South Dakota, thank you for all the work you do to make this the greatest state in the nation.
God bless you – and happy Thanksgiving!
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Noem continues to deliver.