They say the winter was extremely harsh that year. The
people had just endured a sixty-five day travel across an uncontrollable ocean,
and their strength was depleted.
- No charter,
- No law enforcement,
- No township,
- No help,
- Only faith!
Upon boarding the ship, no one thought about the
complications and complexities they would face. They were looking for a land
where they could live out their faith as they believed.
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and
your father's household and go to the land, I will show you.[1]
It was winter when they arrived. Unable to reach the Hudson
River because of tumultuous storms, their forced landing danced in their minds
as they thought about an incident, which had happened thirty years before their
arrival. Another group of people had also landed. They disappeared.
- No trace,
- No grave markings,
- No messages left behind,
- Only their shelters and
three letters engrave on a tree, CRO.
Although thirty years had passed, it was an unforgotten
occurrence that plague people until this day, and it has been recorded in
history with the name, The Lost Colony.
Contrary to many myths, the women and children stayed on
board the ship as the men scouted out the land and found the appropriate spot
to build a shelter. The Captain who had been persuaded to stay and leave in
spring, after threatening to throw them on shore, soon became a blessing––the
shelter they built, caught fire and burned down, and his ship once again became the home for
all.
Tests of endurance usually come in packages and follow in
sequence and not intervals. Soon, they would be struck down with what was then
called the General Sickness and forty-six people died.
During this period of sickness, the settlers were alone. The
Native Americans had already had unpleasant experiences with some of the first
visitors. They had captured them for the lucrative slave markets in Europe to
be sold as human goods. One or two of the Native Americans managed to escape,
and through many hardships had found their way back to their own country, only
to find out their tribes were wiped out.
So, they were skeptical of the settlers landing on their shores.
Sign languages as shown in most Hollywood films with Native
Americans were not needed. There were some who through their enslavement had
learned the English language. One of
these men, Squanto, would be the key to the people's overcoming a harsh winter.
It was after this harsh winter and their survival that
Governor John Carver called for a special celebration to give thanks for being
survivors. The event was held only once.
In 1827, Sarah Josepha Hale set out to make the memory of
this event a national holiday. Her
pleas, however, fell upon deaf ears, until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it as a
National Holiday, in 1863. Lincoln called for it to be a day of celebration on
the last Thursday in the month of November.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date to
the fourth Thursday in November, and so it has been ever since.
On this day, people from all over the United States of America
come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.
- Have you forgotten the
origin of its history?
- Have you taken the time to
examine yourself and give thanks?
Yes, I know, some people think Thanksgiving should be an everyday practice, but there is something unique about taking the time to
consider the difficulties, the joys, and the sorrows you have faced, there is
something remarkable about the wisdom gained and knowledge acquired when you
realize you were not alone when you thought you were. These are those memorable
moments when the peace that surpasses all your understanding comes upon you and
your heart begins to declare:
Yes! It is a good thing to give thanks unto you LORD,
It is a good thing to sing praises to your name, O Most High,
To show forth your loving kindness in the morning,
And your faithfulness every night.
For you have made me glad through the works of your hands.
I will triumph in the works of your hands![2]
HAPPY THANKSGIVING Everyone!
And to those men and women of the United States, regardless of whether
you are African-American or Caucasian, Hispanic or Native American, African or
Asian, Jewish or Arab, who are serving in the United States Armed Forces, or
the Ambassador Core as Foreign Diplomats, or as Medical Personnel trying to
save lives in foreign countries where medical services are rare and unheard of, and to all the others who are working in a
foreign environment that I have not mentioned, whatever else your specialty may
be, you are representing the United
States of America outside of its borders, and your dedication and your tenacity to do your duty are two of the
characteristics of integrity that make the United States of America the country
it is. I thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Ciao,
Pat Garcia
.
[2] Psalm 92:1,2,4,
The Bible, The New International Version, 1984 Edition, ZONDERVAN
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