Happy Thanksgiving, all y’all. I am here in Utah where the snow is coming down heavily, a snow bomb, apparently. We made it here on Tuesday when it was just spitting a few flakes, and my daughter and son-in-law came in at midnight last night, via Denver!, just before the dump started. We are visiting my son who is posted to the university here.
The snow is lovely and we rented a four wheel drive vehicle, so getting around is easy.
Growing up in Plymouth, I have always felt this particular holiday is special. During the writing of my new novel, The Last Pilgrim – the story of the longest living passenger on the Mayflower – I got to read a lot about how the native populations were treated by the settlers from England, the Netherlands and other European nations. At that time and with their customs, these immigrants did not see how devastating their settlement would become to the tribes of New England.
John Carver, the first governor of the Plymouth Colony, made a treaty with the sachem of the Wampanoags, Massasoit, of mutual defense for both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags – which last fifty years. But during that time, many offenses against the natives occurred both in the expanding Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Eventually, this resulted in King Philip’s War, begun by Metacomet, Massasoit’s younger son. So writing this book gave me a somewhat different view of the time – through my modern eyes.
History is what it is – you cannot change it, only understand it. The Pilgrims were helped in many ways by the Wampanoags during their first year on the New England coast, and a feast of thanksgiving was celebrated by both groups. Governor William Bradford gave thanks to God for their survival and for the many gifts the Pilgrims were given by the Wampanoags.
So that is how I see Thanksgiving today. A time to celebrate, give thanks to whatever Supreme Being a person worships for the life and gifts they have been given. Being an American, I realize those gifts are many, deriving from the doughty group of men and women who came here on the Mayflower but also from those people who already lived here.
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’s 1912 illustration, The First Thanksgiving, 1621
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Noelle. My goddaughter started school at Dixie St. in St. George, Utah, earlier this year.
Then she must be enjoying all this snow. I hope she skis!
Happy Thanksgiving, Noelle!
Do you ever miss a traditional American Thanksgiving? I suppose you roast emu? 😉
American Thanksgiving we celebrate every year (and with a turkey- which is a lot more expensive) and cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! And we put up the tree and Christmas decorations. The main difference is we have to pop outside between turkey bastings to water the garden! (I think we’re probably the only ones in the country celebrating it – except maybe the American Ambassador!)
We had turkey with stuffing, squash, mac and cheese (my son’s choice), green bean casserole and a hash browns casserole specific to Utah. I made a pecan pie. We are stuffed!
Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you and your family!
Thank you! Hope yours was fun!
Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving, and a happy and healthy holiday season 🙂
And the same to you, my friend!
A wonderful share, Noelle. Much to ponder and much for which to be thankful today and every day. Wishing you and yours blessings and love at Thanksgiving and every day. 🙂
Hope you had a wonderful feast!
Sending you my warm wishes from home to home and from heart to heart to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! May this day be a beautiful reminder of the wonderful things in life.
Thank you! Hope you had a great feast yesterday!
Awesome photo you have shared here, Thanks a lot for sharing it because it make myself to love.
Thanks! More of this in my new book.