I can see it happening already. Halloween is over and Christmas has sprung in all its glory over every department of every store. And I always feel bad. Because in America we have a holiday called, Thanksgiving, which we always rush past as we swap our skeletons for Santa Clauses.
Growing up, our church would always pause our Sunday school for a week or two and we would revisit the story of the Pilgrims. Mind you, the Pilgrims were not the ones who abused the Native Americans living here. There’s very little ill will you can parse out from the story of the original Pilgrims. We have every reason in the world to retell this story of bravery and friendship that is the Thanksgiving story.
In short; these people came over to America to have the ability to worship God as they saw fit. However, the voyage was rough and many of them landed here in ill health—just before winter. The winter was very harsh and about 45 of the 102 Pilgrims died. Come spring, they were in need of help. There was a Native American named Squanto who had been kidnapped as a young man and taken to Europe where he was set free by a Monk and then trained to speak the language. Eventually, Squanto was able to buy passage back to America only to find the devastating fact that his entire village had been wiped out by illness in his absence. Then along came these English-speaking Pilgrims. Squanto demonstrates a huge amount of forgiveness and acts as an interpreter for these people who we refer to as the Pilgrims. The Native Americans teach the Pilgrims farming skills and the Pilgrims are able to stay and weather the winter. The harvest is bountiful and together they celebrate and offer thanks to God—not just for the food, I am sure, but also for the friendship that has been forged between these two very different people groups. This is a story that bears repeating through all the generations. This is a miraculous story of the best of human nature.
Here are some of the books and shows that I always enjoy this time of year to get me into the Thanksgiving mood and to make sure that I remember this season.
The Legend of Squanto by Focus on the Family Radio Theater
This is a dramatized version acted out by excellent actors of the story of Squanto. If you barely remember learning the story of Squanto in school I highly suggest that you either purchase this on CD (or download) or look up Focus on the Family’s daily radio broadcast where they usually play this story the days immediately preceding Thanksgiving.
Pocahontas Podcast by The History Chicks
The History Chicks host a podcast that is all about women throughout history. These two women will research a woman and put out an episode approximately once a month. They have an engaging style and are fun to listen to as they share the telling of the featured woman’s life. Check out episode 212 to hear Pocahontas’s story.
http://thehistorychicks.com/episode-99-pocahontas/
The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty
This is a short chapter book, perfect for a young reader, but is also a good refresher for adults too! The book tells us what drove the Pilgrims to move to Holland, and from there to make the voyage on the Mayflower, and what it looked like setting up a colony from scratch. While this book is much more factual than narrative it still has an engaging tone that keeps you engaged.
A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
I remember reading this book as a young reader (second or third grade) and absolutely loving it! This is the story of three children who, after the death of their father, are traveling across the ocean to start a new life in The New World. This is definitely a children’s book but that doesn’t mean you won’t get something out of it too! This is an excellent piece of historical fiction to introduce your children to the founding of the New World.
Why Thanksgiving by Steve Deace
This is for young children and is a faith-based book about why the Pilgrims decided to move to Holland and then to America—so they could worship God the way they wanted to! The colorful illustrations in this book will grab your child’s attention!
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