As governor when I visited our troops in Kuwait and Iraq I served them Thanksgiving dinner. It was a small gesture compared to their sacrifice.

Pride slays thanksgiving but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.

If you think Independence Day is America's defining holiday think again. Thanksgiving deserves that title hands-down.

When my mother had to get dinner for 8 she'd just make enough for 16 and only serve half.

From 1971 onwards the Memorial Day holiday was officially observed on the last Monday in May and became the unofficial start of the summer with barbecues blockbuster movie openings and mattress sales.

I am going to take something I learned over in Israel. Their Independence Day is preceded the 24 hours before with Memorial Day so it gives them a chance to serve and reflect and then celebrate. I am going to try to start that tradition here in America.

According to an ancient Sardinian legend the bodies of those who are born on Christmas Eve will never dissolve into dust but are preserved until the end of time.

We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work for you they will honor and serve you.

It is now for the Catholic Church to bend herself to her work with calmness and generosity. It is for you to observe her with renewed and friendly attention.

It is not wealth one asks for but just enough to preserve one's dignity to work unhampered to be generous frank and independent.