Thanksgiving is upon us, a day of feasting and football, family gatherings and counting our blessings. Americans have observed days of thanksgiving ever since 1621, when Governor William Bradford declared the first one for the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Mass. When the Pilgrims stepped ashore there, they had just endured an extremely difficult journey. One hundred and two people had spent 66 days at sea, crammed into the cargo space of the tiny Mayflower. After a bleak winter and a summer of drought, only 51 of the original 102 survived. Only four families had escaped without burying at least one family member.
Still the Pilgrims had much for which to be thankful. One of their greatest blessings was an Indian named Squanto. Squanto was one of the few natives from the area who had not died from the plague a year or two earlier. He offered to teach the colonists how to survive in their new home. Probably the most important thing he taught them was how to plant the Indians' winter staple crop, corn. In return, the Pilgrims shared the message of the gospel with Squanto.
It helped that Squanto could speak their language. He had been captured as a young man and taken to England as a slave. During that time, he learned the English language. He had been freed and returned to his home territory shortly before the Pilgrims arrived. Squanto died within a year or two of coming to the aid of the Pilgrims but not before he had introduced several other Indians to them and their God.
The Indians were impressed by the Pilgrims' God. During the summer, when it appeared the year's corn crop would not survive the severe drought, the Pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer. By the end of the day, it was raining. The rain saved the corn, which miraculously sprang back to life. It was the corn from that summer's harvest that provided the grain for the Pilgrims' first thanksgiving meal with their Indian friends and helpers.
One of the Indians who observed this "miracle" remarked that their God must be a very great God because, when the Indians pow-wowed for rain, it always rained so hard that the corn stalks were broken down. But they noticed that the Pilgrims' God had sent a very gentle rain that did not damage the corn crop.
Schoolchildren are taught that the first thanksgiving meal was held so the Pilgrims could thank their Indian neighbors for helping them. However, history shows that apparently both the Pilgrims and the Indians were thanking God that day for His great goodness to them all. Governor Bradford proclaimed a three-day feast that included boiled eels, venison, wild duck, clams, mussels, cornbread and plums.
We experience much the same situation today. Although our world has many problems and its people suffer many ills, there is much for which to be thankful. God's blessings to us are abundant. Yet we often take what we have for granted and wish we had more. Our thanksgiving should not be measured by the size of our crops or the balance in our bank accounts. We should remember that we are assured that God is with us, whatever our material wealth, when we honor our Creator.
And rather than setting aside just one day a year to be thankful, we should be expressing our gratitude all year long. Psalms 92:1 tells us, "It is good to give thanks to Jehovah and to sing praises to your name, O Most High." A few chapters later, in Psalms 95:2, the psalmist invites, "Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, Let us sing and shout in triumph to him." Paul wrote to the Ephesians urging them to be "always giving thanks to our God and Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." So let's work on cultivating a year-round attitude of thankfulness.
Susan Holland is a lifelong resident of Benton County and a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. She can be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 11/23/2016