Governor Bradford Would Be Proud: My Thanksgiving Weekend

I spent my Thanksgiving weekend differently than most. I packed up my stuff (some of it anyway) and moved out of my house and into an apartment (more like a small cottage, really). My mom and dad were expecting me to arrive in Virginia by train for Thanksgiving dinner. I called them and told them that my plans had changed. I was moving out. On Thanksgiving. In hindsight, that probably wasn't very considerate of my family's feelings. "Where's Trailer Trad? I thought that he was arriving on the 3:30 train?" "Uhm... turns out he's moving out of his house and into an apartment this weekend and won't be able to join us. -broccoli casserole?"

The Old

But you know something? I'm glad that I moved on Thanksgiving because that's what Thanksgiving's all about. If the pilgrims had thought about it the way that we do now, they would have spent the feast telling the Indians (sorry) about how awesome England was and how great it would be if everyone could pretend that they were still being persecuted and killed for their religous beliefs.

They didn't do that. In fact, the first Thanksgiving was a humble offering of thanks for what God had given them. Pestilence, death, said indians, fear, uncertainty along with hope and the ability to move forward in their new life. They spent Thanksgiving not looking back but looking forward with hope, gratitude and courage. Happy Holidays from Trailer Trad.

The New

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

--William Bradford

Ye Governor of Ye Colony