The Simple Faith of Humble Men

That God will bless America Both now and evermore, As never hath a land so much To be so thankful for

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand. And as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone to many. Let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.” (William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth County, 1621)

Thankful they assembled there,
A humble Pilgrim band,
To praise their God in silent prayer
That He should bless their land.

Through winter unforgiving,
Through pestilence and war,
Those grateful few yet living knew
What they were thankful for.

As they feasted on their succotash,
Maize and wild game,
Doubtless they did pause to think
On why it was they came.

Enduring death and hardship,
On this lonely, hostile shore,
To escape the persecutor’s rod
And live free evermore.

Yet well they braved the suffering
That they had come to find
And passing silent longings for
The land they left behind.

For the liberty to worship free
Was worth their pain and fear,
As gratefully they thanked Him:
“Lord, how good we have it here.”

Unceasing hath He blessed us since
That first Thanksgiving Day,
Throughout this nation’s lofty rise
His grace hath shone the way.

For this blessed land America’s
The living legacy
Of the simple faith of humble men
So thankful they were free.

And if this suff’ring Pilgrim band
Could yet see fit to give
Their grateful thanks to Him whose grace
Had simply let them live,

Then yet a thousand times more thankful
Should our people be
For this nation’s bounteous wealth,
Her strength and liberty.

So it is only fitting that
We thank Him on this day,
Reflecting on our blessings as
We bow our heads to pray….

That God will bless America
Both now and evermore,
As never hath a land so much
To be so thankful for.

© 2013 by William Kevin Stoos 

Via: Canada Free Press

Thanksgiving at Plymouth

 In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations.

Via: History.com

Continue Reading...