In November of 1620, the Pilgrims arrived in the new world. The ship, the Mayflower, carried a little over 100 passengers and a crew of 30. Seeking a better life, little did they know what they were in for.
The winter and the ensuing hardships took their toll as more than half perished. In the fall of the following year, the 53 who survived, celebrated both their survival and the bountiful harvest that would sustain them for the upcoming winter. We now celebrate this day as Thanksgiving.
It is literally impossible for us, nearly 400 years later, to even visualize everything these folks went through. We get up from our warm beds, watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and then follow it up by being armchair quarterbacks for a couple of football games, We finally wrap things up with a Thanksgiving Dinner with more food than we can consume.
Let us all give thanks to our God for all of the blessings we are receiving each day and also the sacrifices so many who have come before us have made, sacrifices that have allowed us, no matter how bad we sometimes think things are, to be able to live our lives free from tyranny and oppression, lives without fear of starvation or a lack of a warm dry place to live.
Happy Thanksgiving,
