By Dr. Alex McFarland for TOWNHALL
Gratitude is said to be one of humanity’s oldest forms of wisdom—simple enough to express in a moment, yet powerful enough to shift the course of a life. Gratitude is more than polite gestures or seasonal rituals; it is a way of seeing the world and living life. Few moments in history illustrate this more clearly than the story of the Pilgrims and the origins of Thanksgiving.
When the Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower in 1620, they carried within themselves much hope and little certainty. These men and women crossed the Atlantic not in pursuit of comfort or abundance, but in search of a place where they could practice their Christian faith freely. Their voyage was perilous; their first winter devastating.
They arrived in harsh New England, faced bitter cold, disease, and hardships beyond anything for which they had prepared. Nearly half of the Pilgrims did not survive that first winter.
But when spring arrived, so did help. The Wampanoag people shared knowledge that would help keep the Pilgrims alive: Knowledge about farming, fishing, and how to endure in this new land. With that support and their own steadfast determination, the Pilgrims harvested their first successful crop in the fall of 1621. In a posture of heartfelt gratitude to God, they gathered for what is now remembered as the first Thanksgiving: a three-day feast shared with their Native American neighbors.
