Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. Getting to spend the day with my loved ones, feast on a banquet of turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberries, green beans, and ..well… all the wonderful food you could ever think of. Then, afterwards, just relive wonderful memories of all the great times of the past and remember those whom we love that are with us in spirit. It simply is one of the most joyous days of the year.
One of the things that I am most thankful for is being giving the opportunity to be a daddy and granddaddy. My two children and two grandchildren are truly a blessing and to be the father was the best gift the Lord ever gave me. I still have my wonderful mom with me and she is still the head of our family and as lively and fun loving as she can be. I am convinced that she will outlive all of us.
Right now there is a great deal of talk about immigration and reform. There are many who question who is an American and who has the right to call themselves Americans. All I can say to this is that as I recall, the celebrants of that first Thanksgiving holiday that took place in what is now Massachusetts, were themselves undocumented immigrants to this land. They were aliens to the North American continent who came here after being run out of Europe for their religious beliefs and took possession of land without the consent or permission of the original owners. So before any of us start to question and persecute any immigrants or fellow citizens for that matter, we need to remember who we are and where we come from.
Not all the Pilgrims were Calvinist Puritans. Some of the colonists were English yeomen who were trying to secure property rights to start their own farms. There were even a few Dutch settlers in the group. Looking to find the Virginia colony, the Mayflower was driven off course and blown by stormy seas to the rocky shores of what is now New England. Almost out of provisions and low on fresh water, the settlers were literally dumped ashore. If not for the help of some sympathetic and generous Native Americans, the colony would not have survived the harsh winter of 1620-21. As it was, nearly half of the colonists didn’t survive. The harvest of 1621 was bountiful after the colonists were shown some new planting techniques from the Native tribesmen. There was much to be thankful for and this was the reason for the celebration. As an afterthought, the settlers invited some of the Indians. Venison, not turkey, was the meat of choice at this first Thanksgiving. In fact, turkeys didn’t roost in New England. They were part of the diet in colonial Virginia. The most popular dish at the first Thanksgiving was beans and cabbage.
The Virginia colony celebrated a Thanksgiving in 1619 to thank the Lord for a bountiful harvest. Spanish settlers celebrated a Thanksgiving feast in 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida. A Canadian thanksgiving was held in 1578 by English explorer Martin Frobisher and his men to thank the Lord for their deliverance from the brutal winter of the far north.
The Thanksgiving of the United States is based on the Calvinist Thanksgiving of 1621. It was President Franklin Roosevelt who fixed the date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November in 1941.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us all remember that we are, all of us, the progeny of immigrants who came from other places in the world and united to build this country into what it is today. And let us thank God that He gave them the opportunity to do this.
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