The following text is Acting Prime Minister Honourable Gregory Bowen’s message on the occasion of National Thanksgiving Day, 25 October 2017.
“As we once again come together to commemorate our National Thanksgiving Day, let us reflect on how far we have come as a nation and the road that it took to get us here.
We thank our Almighty Father for delivering us safely from the dark days of our history to the light and hopefulness of the present.
Thirty-four years on, we can truly say that we are a resilient, peaceful and blessed nation.
Through the years, we have overcome revolutions, hurricanes and economic disasters, through hard work, shared sacrifice, and God’s steadfast grace and mercy, to now live in a land that is safe, stable and steadfastly developing.
Today, we enjoy a maturing democracy — but we did not get here alone.
We are grateful to our many friends and neighbours who have come to Grenada’s aid, time and time again, to help us rebuild, restore and sustain this said democracy and stability that we now experience.
Thanksgiving each year gives us an opportunity to remember the Grenadians and friends of Grenada who are no longer with us; and to recognise and pay homage to their service in the interest of nation-building.
We continue to pray for their families and to thank them for their sacrifice.
It is indeed through collective sacrifice that Grenada is where it is today, and we thank everyone who has shared in the sacrifices for our development.
Sisters and brothers,
This Thanksgiving, more than ever, I call on all of our citizens to remember to pay our blessings forward — that is, to ensure that we meet our collective obligation to bless others the way we have been blessed by others.
When we pause and reflect on the recent disastrous hurricanes which have decimated so many Islands in our region and areas of the United States, sparing Grenada, the onus must be on us to reach out a hand in whatever way we can, to assist.
And even while we do so to help our neighbours abroad, let us also do the same here at home and ensure that none of our brothers or sisters is left behind, and that everyone in our beautiful country can experience equality of opportunity and access to resources.
As a government, we call on everyone to recall the lessons of the past, and to use those as stepping stones toward fulfilling our God-given responsibility of service to each other, in whatever our sphere of influence or opportunity.
Let us always remember that we are a blessed nation, and that we are working daily to build a more sustainable future for ourselves and the next generations.
Let us therefore remain resolute and united toward our common goal—development.
We fail or succeed together. We are one people.
May God continue to bless this beautiful, strong and proud Nation of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
GIS
