On Thanksgiving, we give thanks to God for that which we are thankful: Family and friends, the
comforts of home and food.
The Thanksgiving of historic memory was a traditional English harvest festival, probably not the first harvest festival celebrated by Europeans, let alone Indigenous Americans. But it is America’s foundational celebration, in which people of different cultures came together in peace and thanksgiving for having survived. The Pilgrims almost didn’t survive: Rations were down to 3 or 5 grains of corn a day for food, over half died in that first winter, and were barely hanging on when Tisquantum, or Squanto, arrived bearing food and knowledge on how to survive and flourish in this strange
new land.
This land is still a strange place for many people who come here, and there are far too many
who struggle with having enough food to eat. On this Thanksgiving, I will give thanks for work and
family and friends, and being a part of a community that provides for those, like my ancestors the
Pilgrims, who do not have enough.
Thank you for your support!
Michael