I wrote an article 3 years ago during Thanksgiving time. At the time, we had the World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings, anthrax attacks, and economic downturn. Since then, the last 2 years have not been easy. In addition to the economic recession, we had wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, we see signs of economic recovery, but there are still many people looking for jobs. The war in Iraq has ended, but there are reports daily of troops injured or killed by accidents or terrorists attacks. The message of Thanksgiving is still the same. We should always be thankful. When we are thankful we realize how much we are blessed. Let us look at the story of the first Pilgrims again who first realized how important it is to be thankful.

The people who celebrated the first Thanksgiving were, as many know, the Pilgrims. This group of people sailed to this country abroad the Mayflower. They were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect) who first fled to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. They enjoyed more religious tolerance there, but they eventually left because they considered the Dutch way of life as ungodly. A London stock company financed the pilgrimage to America. Only about one third of the original colonists were Separatists. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists who were hired by the company.

The Pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock on Dec. 11, 1620. They suffered much loss the first winter. After the end of the winter, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. However, the harvest of 1621 turned out to be very bountiful. They celebrate the harvest with a feast, which included 91 Indians who helped the Pilgrims survived their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the Indians. The Pilgrims had much to celebrate. They had built homes in the wilderness, they had raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Despite the odds against them, they have survived and thrived. It was time to celebrate. The feast lasted 3 days.

The Pilgrims did not celebrate “tThanksgiving feast the next year. However, in 1623, there was a severe drought. It was dry and hot and many crops died. Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer. The Pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. A long, steady rain followed the very day. To celebrate this miracle, They proclaimed November 29 of that year to be a day of thanksgiving. This day was believed to be the true beginning of the present Thanksgiving Day. Later, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by American colonists. Many American Presidents including George Washington and all presidents from Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day. It was not until 1941 when Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.