When I was a kid, there was no competition. Christmas was my favorite holiday. I mean, seriously, how could it not be for kids with stuffed stockings, presents under the tree, and grandparents at the door with loads of even more gifts? Yep, I loved Christmas. I still do, even though I don't put up a stocking and can't think of anything I need under my tree.
But, over the years, Thanksgiving has moved up on my list of favorite holidays. There are no fat men in red suits, no bunnies with chocolate eggs, and no little kids at the door expecting more sugar than anyone needs until the next time October rolls around. As far as I can tell, Thanksgiving remains one of the few holidays that hasn't been spoiled by commercialism. Okay, I admit that it's good business for the local grocery store, but after a meal, what else do people spend money on for Thanksgiving?
This is a holiday all wrapped up with giving thanks. If you celebrate the day the way it is meant to be, you should count your blessings. It's a time to have an attitude of gratitude. During the quarantine, I've worked on several children's books. Triple Gratitude with Assorted Monsters teaches a lesson about looking for the three best things that happened during the day. It's something I do every night. But, on Thanksgiving Day, perhaps everyone would do well to triple their triple gratitude. We have so many blessings to be grateful for.
This morning, I listened to an interview by radio host Eric Metaxas. He has a passion for history, but before he delved into his story, he had his own thoughts to share about Thanksgiving. He said, "God blesses you to be a blessing." That'll give me a whole lot more to consider when I count my blessings tonight.
Metaxas has written several children's books, but in this interview, he spoke about Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving. I never heard of this story before. If you want more information on the man and the miracle, you can read further in Metaxas' book If You Can Keep It.
Anyway, most of us know "in the year 1620 the Pilgrims came over. The good ship Mayflower brought them o'er the sea." But, did you know that prior to 1620, merchant ships sailed down the east coast of what would become the United States to trade with the local people? I mean, seriously, who knew that? And, sadly, not all of these merchants were the nicest of people. In 1608, Captain Hunt sailed around Massachusetts Bay and he wasn't interested in a tea party. Before he headed back to Spain, he wanted to capture a few Native Americans to sell into slavery. Twelve-year-old Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, was one of these captives.
Sadly, most of the names of people sold into slavery - then or now - remain nameless. Not many have the chance to escape slavery and leave their mark on history. Squanto is one of those rare ones who did just that. When he arrived in Spain, the young boy was purchased by some monks. Their main goal was to teach him the Christian faith. Their secondary goal was to find a way to return him to the New World. That was no easy task in the early 1600s.
The journey home included a stop in England for a few years. Finally, in 1618, Squanto got passage back to the New World on a ship where he worked as a translator. And, he made it back home to his village of Patucket in the following year. Unfortunately, his entire village had been wiped out by disease. For a while, he lived in a village of a neighboring tribe before moving out on his own. The return trip to the New World was not at all what he had thought it would be.
Meanwhile, back in Europe, the Puritans searched for religious freedom. They left England for a decade in the Netherlands. But, eventually, they sought their new life in the New World. Their goal was Virginia, but instead, they landed in what they called the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. And, they were not prepared for the harshness of Massachusetts weather. Half their population died in that first winter. The Puritans were desperate and prayed for a miracle.
Now, sometimes, things happen that are just too coincidental to be coincidence. They must be divinely inspired. Plymouth Colony, where the Puritans settled, was the very land where Squanto's people had lived. Imagine the shock when a Native American who spoke the Queen's English came to the colony after that horrible winter. John Winthrop, one of the colony's early governors, wrote that Squanto was "a special instrument sent of God". He had no doubts that this man was an answer to their prayers. Squanto taught the people skills they needed in order to survive: how to plant corn, where to best fish, and how to hunt. Then, he negotiated a peace with the neighboring tribes that lasted fifty years.
Ask any Puritan you happen to see, and they will tell you the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery and then turned around and saved the entire nation of Egypt as well as his family. Joseph said that the slavery was not good, but God used it for good in His plan to use him to save everyone. The same can be said for Squanto. Nobody can say that slavery is good, but it was part of the path that taught this young man English and spared him from the plague that killed his tribe. Without that life journey, Squanto would never have assisted the Puritans when they prayed for help. Without his help, the colony probably would have failed with everyone perishing or moving back to England.
I don't know if Squanto ever participated in the famous first Thanksgiving. He died of a fever while guiding an expedition around Cape Cod with Governor William Bradford. Nobody is sure what exactly happened. Some suspect he was poisoned. But, it is safe to say, that this one man had a remarkable influence in the early development of our nation.
However, if Squanto is a miracle that saved the Puritans and helped to bring about the first Thanksgiving, there is also an anti-miracle about that meal. In my research, I found that most likely there was no turkey or mashed potatoes that day in Massachusetts. What! It was much more likely that they dined on venison. Heavens to Bambi! And, as for potatoes, they were just making their way from South America to Europe at that time. They wouldn't have been in Massachusetts when they were celebrating with gratitude. As far as I'm concerned, the first Thanksgiving meal was not a "real" Thanksgiving meal. And, if I had been there as one of the first Thanksgivers, that night when I counted my blessings, the menu without turkey or mashed potatoes wouldn't have made my gratitude list.
But, over the years, Thanksgiving has moved up on my list of favorite holidays. There are no fat men in red suits, no bunnies with chocolate eggs, and no little kids at the door expecting more sugar than anyone needs until the next time October rolls around. As far as I can tell, Thanksgiving remains one of the few holidays that hasn't been spoiled by commercialism. Okay, I admit that it's good business for the local grocery store, but after a meal, what else do people spend money on for Thanksgiving?
This is a holiday all wrapped up with giving thanks. If you celebrate the day the way it is meant to be, you should count your blessings. It's a time to have an attitude of gratitude. During the quarantine, I've worked on several children's books. Triple Gratitude with Assorted Monsters teaches a lesson about looking for the three best things that happened during the day. It's something I do every night. But, on Thanksgiving Day, perhaps everyone would do well to triple their triple gratitude. We have so many blessings to be grateful for.
This morning, I listened to an interview by radio host Eric Metaxas. He has a passion for history, but before he delved into his story, he had his own thoughts to share about Thanksgiving. He said, "God blesses you to be a blessing." That'll give me a whole lot more to consider when I count my blessings tonight.
Metaxas has written several children's books, but in this interview, he spoke about Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving. I never heard of this story before. If you want more information on the man and the miracle, you can read further in Metaxas' book If You Can Keep It.
Anyway, most of us know "in the year 1620 the Pilgrims came over. The good ship Mayflower brought them o'er the sea." But, did you know that prior to 1620, merchant ships sailed down the east coast of what would become the United States to trade with the local people? I mean, seriously, who knew that? And, sadly, not all of these merchants were the nicest of people. In 1608, Captain Hunt sailed around Massachusetts Bay and he wasn't interested in a tea party. Before he headed back to Spain, he wanted to capture a few Native Americans to sell into slavery. Twelve-year-old Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, was one of these captives.
Sadly, most of the names of people sold into slavery - then or now - remain nameless. Not many have the chance to escape slavery and leave their mark on history. Squanto is one of those rare ones who did just that. When he arrived in Spain, the young boy was purchased by some monks. Their main goal was to teach him the Christian faith. Their secondary goal was to find a way to return him to the New World. That was no easy task in the early 1600s.
The journey home included a stop in England for a few years. Finally, in 1618, Squanto got passage back to the New World on a ship where he worked as a translator. And, he made it back home to his village of Patucket in the following year. Unfortunately, his entire village had been wiped out by disease. For a while, he lived in a village of a neighboring tribe before moving out on his own. The return trip to the New World was not at all what he had thought it would be.
Meanwhile, back in Europe, the Puritans searched for religious freedom. They left England for a decade in the Netherlands. But, eventually, they sought their new life in the New World. Their goal was Virginia, but instead, they landed in what they called the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. And, they were not prepared for the harshness of Massachusetts weather. Half their population died in that first winter. The Puritans were desperate and prayed for a miracle.
Now, sometimes, things happen that are just too coincidental to be coincidence. They must be divinely inspired. Plymouth Colony, where the Puritans settled, was the very land where Squanto's people had lived. Imagine the shock when a Native American who spoke the Queen's English came to the colony after that horrible winter. John Winthrop, one of the colony's early governors, wrote that Squanto was "a special instrument sent of God". He had no doubts that this man was an answer to their prayers. Squanto taught the people skills they needed in order to survive: how to plant corn, where to best fish, and how to hunt. Then, he negotiated a peace with the neighboring tribes that lasted fifty years.
Ask any Puritan you happen to see, and they will tell you the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery and then turned around and saved the entire nation of Egypt as well as his family. Joseph said that the slavery was not good, but God used it for good in His plan to use him to save everyone. The same can be said for Squanto. Nobody can say that slavery is good, but it was part of the path that taught this young man English and spared him from the plague that killed his tribe. Without that life journey, Squanto would never have assisted the Puritans when they prayed for help. Without his help, the colony probably would have failed with everyone perishing or moving back to England.
I don't know if Squanto ever participated in the famous first Thanksgiving. He died of a fever while guiding an expedition around Cape Cod with Governor William Bradford. Nobody is sure what exactly happened. Some suspect he was poisoned. But, it is safe to say, that this one man had a remarkable influence in the early development of our nation.
However, if Squanto is a miracle that saved the Puritans and helped to bring about the first Thanksgiving, there is also an anti-miracle about that meal. In my research, I found that most likely there was no turkey or mashed potatoes that day in Massachusetts. What! It was much more likely that they dined on venison. Heavens to Bambi! And, as for potatoes, they were just making their way from South America to Europe at that time. They wouldn't have been in Massachusetts when they were celebrating with gratitude. As far as I'm concerned, the first Thanksgiving meal was not a "real" Thanksgiving meal. And, if I had been there as one of the first Thanksgivers, that night when I counted my blessings, the menu without turkey or mashed potatoes wouldn't have made my gratitude list.
RSS Feed