Thanksgiving?

   Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! It has been such an interesting year, and nothing has been as expected. Perhaps your Thanksgiving and holiday plans this year look much different than they ever have before. It can be so easy to let ourselves get mired in discouragement and frustration after all that has happened. But I encourage you to think back to the first Thanksgiving. 

   The pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving had endured a difficult year. They had traveled from England on The Mayflower. A troubled ocean crossing, as well as a landing at the wrong destination had caused them to have to stay on board the ship all winter. By the time spring arrived, only half of those who had left England were still living. It had been a trying year to say the least. 

   As they came to shore, they were faced with a new land which they knew nothing about. Thankfully though, the local Wampanoag tribe taught them how to plant and how to survive in the new country. Through the alliance forged with their new friends, the pilgrims were able to successfully plant and grow crops. The first Thanksgiving resulted as a celebration of their first harvest in the new land. 

   Similarly, for most, this has been a difficult year. We have faced hardship and uncertainty. We have had to learn new ways of doing things. I hope that through it all, you have found ways to make and strengthen friendships, that you have learned how to survive and perhaps even thrive in a new environment, and today, whether you are gathering with many of few, I pray you have much to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to see you succeed. 

~K.L.W. 

P.S. For more on the first Thanksgiving, check out the info below. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving