President Obama Weekly
Address: Wishing the American People a Happy Thanksgiving
November 22, 2012
During this holiday
season, President Obama gave thanks in his weekly address for all of the
blessings we share as Americans, and expressed his gratitude to the
brave men and women who are defending our freedom around the world. As
we come together to spend time with those we love, we also stand with
those who are less fortunate this year, including our fellow Americans
in the northeast who lost so much during the recent storm. This
Thanksgiving, friends, family, and community will gather in the spirit
of unity and look out for those less fortunate – to pull each other up
and move forward together.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
November 22, 2012
On behalf of the Obama family – Michelle, Malia, Sasha and Bo – I want
to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.
For us, like so many of you, this is a day full of family and friends;
food and football. It’s a day to fight the overwhelming urge to take a
nap – at least until after dinner. But most of all, it’s a time to give
thanks for each other, and for the incredible bounty we enjoy.
That’s especially important this year. As a nation, we’ve just emerged
from a campaign season that was passionate, noisy, and vital to our
democracy. But it also required us to make choices – and sometimes those
choices led us to focus on what sets us apart instead of what ties us
together; on what candidate we support instead of what country we belong
to.
Thanksgiving is a chance to put it all in perspective – to remember
that, despite our differences, we are, and always will be, Americans
first and foremost.
Today we give thanks for blessings that are all too rare in this world.
The ability to spend time with the ones we love; to say what we want; to
worship as we please; to know that there are brave men and women
defending our freedom around the globe; and to look our children in the
eye and tell them that, here in America, no dream is too big if they’re
willing to work for it.
We’re also grateful that this country has always been home to Americans
who see these blessings not simply as gifts to enjoy, but as
opportunities to give back. Americans who believe we have a
responsibility to look out for those less fortunate – to pull each other
up and move forward together.
Right now, as we prepare to gather around our dinner tables, there are
families in the northeast who don’t have that luxury. Many of them have
lost everything to Hurricane Sandy – homes, possessions, even loved
ones. And it will be a long time before life goes back to normal.
But in the midst of so much tragedy, there are also glimmers of hope.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen FEMA personnel, National Guard and
first responders working around the clock in hard-hit communities. We’ve
seen hospital workers using their lunch breaks to distribute supplies.
Families offering up extra bedrooms. The fire department advertising
free hot showers. Buses full of volunteers coming from hundreds of miles
away. Neighbors sharing whatever they have – food, water, electricity –
and saying again and again how lucky they are to have a roof over their
heads.
It
would have been easy for these folks to do nothing – to worry about
themselves and leave the rest to someone else. But that’s not who we
are. That’s not what we do.
As Americans, we are a bold, generous, big-hearted people. When our
brothers and sisters are in need, we roll up our sleeves and get to work
– not for the recognition or the reward, but because it’s the right
thing to do. Because there but for the grace of God go I. And because
here in America, we rise or fall together, as one nation and one people.
That’s something to be grateful for – today and every day.
So to all the Americans doing your part to make our world a better place
– it is my privilege to serve as your President. To all our
servicemembers – it is my honor to be your Commander in Chief. And from
our family to yours, happy Thanksgiving.
