Happy Thanksgiving

I love these foot tall wooden figures. Even the backsides. I like the reminder that the pilgrims and the natives were friends. It would not last, as we know, and it was not so everywhere. The settlement at Jamestown, Virginia was not at all like the one to the north, at Plymouth Rock. The stories of Indians Samoset and Squanto are fascinating. The pilgrims would have likely all died without their help. As it was, half of their number perished the first year.

It was not long before the great experiment in "covenant" living faded, but at least in the early days, God was honored and the kindness of Jesus Christ was evident. Those early pilgrims gave thanks, not because of great abundance, or fancy homes. While Chief Massasoit and his braves were a great blessing, bringing venison and other food to the the great feast, the colonist's rations were far from abundant. They gave thanks to God because they had determined to do so, to remember the words of St. Paul, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I wish my friends and readers a blessed week and Thanksgiving Day. I am grateful for ways many of you have enriched my life, some in person and others through the Internet or the mail. Perhaps you are planning on sharing the traditional feast with your friends or family or perhaps it is a sad year, or a "lean" one. In each situation, it is a "good thing to give thanks to the Lord" for there is one thing we can count on--the mercy and goodness of Almighty God.

May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you in ways large and small. May you be surprised by joy, encouraged by others, loved by those whom you love. Most of all, may the matchless grace of the Lord become ever more real to you as we enter this holiday season.