Our family is enjoying the first snowfall this week...ushering us into our week of giving thanks! Our front hall is a merry mess of soggy gloves and dripping snowsuits and our tea kettle is in constant use for steaming mugs of hot chocolate. It is a delightful time of year and such a treat to see the joy on my children's faces as they enjoy these simple pleasures.
We are reading aloud The Landing of The Pilgrims by James Daugherty. We're packing in quite a few chapters each day because the month snuck up on me and I want to finish it on Thursday (Thanksgiving) even though we started it on Monday!
It's important to me that our family read the account of the Pilgrims who fled from England to Holland (selling land and goods) in order (as William Bradford wrote)
"To keep a good conscience and walk in such Way as God has prescribed in his Word, is a thing which I must prefer before you all, and above life itself."
After fleeing to Holland and living there for twelve years they left for the New World; facing illness in that first winter in which over half of their number died. Can you read the following account(Old English and all!) without emotion?
"There was but 6 or 7 sound persons, so to their great comendations be it spoken, spared no pains, night or day, but with abundance of toyle and hazard of their owne health, fetched them woode, made them fires, drest them meat, made their beads, washed their lothsome cloaths, cloathed and uncloathed them; in a word did all ye homly and necessarie offices for them which dainty and quesy stomacks can not endure to be named; and all this willing and cherfully, without any grudging in ye least, shewing herein their true love unto their friends and brethern."
This Thanksgiving our family has much to be thankful for. As I add the gargantuan bowl of mashed potatoes to our loaded table I will think of these brothers and sisters and their example of love and godliness.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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