It’s hard to believe it is already Thanksgiving. The year has just flown by.

So it is time to reflect back over the year and express some appreciation to God for His blessings.

First, I am thankful for the blest year we have had in Alabama. Our economy is doing great. It may be the best in history. Revenues are up. Companies are building. Unemployment is the lowest in the nation. The times are good.

I am thankful for the schools in Alabama. We still have so many teachers that work hard to train our kids. They work the extra hours and sacrifice so much time in order to insure our children get ahead. But more importantly, so many of them are born-again Christians that seek to set the best examples and lead our children in the ways of godliness and good manners.

I am thankful for our churches too. We have so many great places of worship in Alabama. Thousands of dedicated pastors labor quietly in the vineyards of ministry to help Alabamians work through their problems and arrive at solutions that bring healing and comfort. It makes me so proud.

I am thankful for the thousands of veterans that bless our state. We are one of the most patriotic states in the whole union. So many of our brave men and women have left family and friends to serve our country across the seas and protect us from terror and harm. We sleep sound in our homes because they serve and I am so proud.

I am thankful for the privilege to live in a state where the Bible is still revered and read. I am glad some 67 percent of Alabamians are born again and attending church. It makes for a stable society and stronger families. It breeds better work habits and less crime.

And I am glad we worship such a God as the God of the Bible. He is a God who is good, righteous and just and at the same time merciful and kind. He is a God who gave His Son to die for our sins and extend forgiveness to all who ask. He is a God who loves us, hears our prayers, and blesses our state with safety and security. He sends rain, controls the weather and sustains our comfort. He is mighty good to us.

And I am thankful for you. It is a pleasure to serve such wonderful people like you. You work hard, take care of your family, send your kinds to school, pay your taxes, keep the laws, and go to church. It makes me so proud because it makes our state so strong.

So to all of you, I say &8220;Happy Thanksgiving and blessings on you and your family.&8221;