Lessons from the Pilgrims

Thanksgiving is here. Yay! It's my favorite holiday.

Talk of Pilgrims always comes up in November at my house, especially if the kids have been studying them at school or want to read a selection from our holiday book collection. As I recounted the story of the Pilgrims in my head--the real story with its harsh realities, not the "happily ever after" condensed version often shared with kids--I saw many lessons that a nontraditional college student could take away from it.

One thing that I appreciate about the Pilgrims is that they accepted failure but didn't let it defeat them. Did you know that the Mayflower wasn't the Pilgrims' original boat? Actually, they had two boats: the Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Speedwell began taking on water shortly after departure and had to be sold. The Pilgrims didn't abandon their efforts; they just changed course. They combined passengers and moved on.

They managed to make it across the Atlantic, but it was winter by the time they arrived. They managed to build one common house. Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during the harsh New England winter. At one point, there may have been only six people well enough to help care for the sick. They stuck together and endured until the break of spring.

They didn't have homes or know how to farm the land, but they kept plodding on. Eventually, as everyone knows, they were successful in their efforts, mostly thanks to the native people who were willing to share their knowledge.



There it is...food for thought. I hope you will be enjoying some real food this weekend and counting your blessings. I have so much to be thankful for, but I will admit that one thing I am especially thankful for right now is Thanksgiving break!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!