We here at HTH know it has become ever so popular to hate the Thanksgiving holiday because it is in the way of the ever-increasing importance of the Christmas buying season and because it has become a little more politically incorrect with each passing year. However, it is our favorite holiday of the year and we look forward to it as soon as the last dish is put away and the last ounce of turkey is consumed by some other means besides the way it was intended to be. We also know our history from books not found on the New York Times Bestseller lists. (Oh, the joys of a primary source!) And so we would love to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday because we love the idea of setting aside a day to be thankful for all of God's many gifts, large and so small that they are sadly forgotten and overlooked, to us. We could not exist without them. The Thanksgiving holiday would not be complete without some quotes from William Bradford about why they came to America (and no, it wasn't to build an empire, nor was it to steal and kill the Native Americans) and why they chose to set aside the day of Thanksgiving.
Before we get to those, we'd like to share one thought that is like most things here at HTH, not original, but really got us thinking and that is: "What if you woke up tomorrow and the only things that were in your possession were the things you thanked God for today?" We know somedays, we wouldn't be waking up to much. Since we read that a couple of years ago, we have attempted to move throughout each day thanking God for each and everything thing we do and have. It has made us increasingly aware of how richly blessed we are and has humbled us on many occasions about how good God has been to us and still continues to be. And now to Mr. Bradford, the first governor of the Plymouth Colony:
On why they left England and Amsterdam:
"all great & honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and must be both enterprised and overcome with answerable courages. It was granted ye dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible. For though their were many of them likely, yet they were not cartaine; it might be sundrie of ye things feared might never befale; others by providente care & ye use of good means, might in a great measure be prevented; and all of them, through ye help of God, by fortitude and patience, might either be borne, or overcome. True it was, that such atempts were not to be made and undertaken without good ground & reason; not rashly or lightly as many have done for curiositie or hope of gaine, &c. But their condition was not ordinarie; their ends were good & honourable; their calling lawfull, & urgente; and therfore they might expecte ye blessing of god in their proceding. Yea, though they should loose their lives in this action, yet might they have comforte in the same, and their endeavors would be honourable. They lived hear but as men in exile, & in a poore condition; and as great miseries might possibly befale them in this place, for ye 12. years of truce [the truce between Holland and Spain] were now out, & ther was nothing but beating of drumes, and preparing for warr, the events wherof are allway uncertaine."
On the setting aside of the day of Thanksgiving:
"They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; fFor as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports."
And a declaration of praise:
"May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, etc.” Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry, and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men.”
Happy Thanksgiving,
David
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