In 1620, the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. The first thing they did was to fall on their knees and thank God for keeping them safe through the journey. But their troubles weren’t over. That winter over half of the pilgrims died, most from starvation, cold, and disease.
Here are the statistics:
December – six people died.
January - eight people died.
February - 17 people died.
March - 13 people died.
Four entire families died, and there was only one family that didn’t lose at least one member.
Of 18 married women, 13 died. Only three of 13 children perished. This seems to indicate that mothers were probably giving their share of food to the children.
The winter was, by local standards, a fairly mild one. The Plymouth settlers were simply not used to living on an awful diet and being exposed to the elements. Had it been a really severe winter, it’s likely that all of them would have been wiped out.
When the “Mayflower” was prepared to return to England in April. 1621, its captain offered to take any survivors with him at no charge. None of the survivors took him up on his offer.
After harvesting their crops in early Autumn, the 53 pilgrims who were still alive invited the Indians for a feast to celebrate the goodness of God.
That’s how Thanksgiving got started. Sometimes I think that we Americans have become a spoiled people. We expect things to always go our way and when they don’t, we don’t remember to thank God for the many blessings He has given us. We forget to thank Him.
Here’s some things I’m thankful for this year:
My wonderful husband of 32 years.
My two grown children who serve the Lord.
Two of the cutest grandchildren in the world.
A house to live in.
Food to eat – especially the Thanksgiving feast I’ll stuff myself on next Thursday.
Time saving gadgets. Remember the Pilgrims didn’t even have matches to light their fires.
My nation. United States of America is still the greatest nation on Earth.
Freedom to worship. Many Christians from other countries endanger their lives by following God.
My Salvation. No matter what else I lose, Jesus Christ died for my sins so I could have a relationship with Him. Nothing else compares to that.
So what are you thankful for?
