A WOMAN'S VIEW ~ Lenore Buth

Learning from those early settlers and that first Thanksgiving

    What do you remember of how the first Thanksgiving came to be?

    Let's step back in time to 1620. Probably we vaguely recall the Mayflower, the ship that brought those settlers from Plymouth, England, to North America. On a family vacation to the East Coast we visited Plymouth, MA. The Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum erected on the site of that original settlement. Anchored at the shore is the Mayflower II, a reproduction.

    How tiny that ship was! Yet 388 years ago people like you and me gathered their families and braved crossing the Atlantic on that ship. Once we stepped aboard, it seemed even smaller. Picture ceiling heights about 65 inches, with berths about 3 ft. by 6 ft. Costumed guides told us each passenger was allowed their berth, including space above and below it, for their trunks and chests. That small ship was crammed with food and supplies, household goods for their future homes, even goats.

    During their long, miserable voyage on the choppy Atlantic, two passengers died and many more sickened. They finally reached harbor on December 11, naming it New Plymouth.

     Imagine yourself one of that intrepid band, weary to the bone from the arduous journey, half-sick, undernourished on the diet of mostly oatmeal, turnips and dried ox tongues. Imagine your dismay at finally arriving at a typical Massachusetts December scene, probably much like this. 

    William Bradford, the first governor of the Plymouth colony, wrote: "Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven ... They had now no friends to welcome them, no inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies, no houses, or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor ... What could now sustain them but the spirit of God and his grace?" 

    That first winter forty-four of the original colonists died. more would have died if not for the Mayflower captain's decision to remain anchored off-shore. With only one makeshift shelter on shore, that cramped ship remained "home" for many months. Once the weather warmed, the survivors finally could hunt the abundant game they had been unable to hunt when landing.

    An English-speaking native they named Squanto befriended them and helped arrange a peace treaty with the Wampanoags. Then Squanto showed them his people's ways of planting corn and other crops. Early summer brought drought, but by autumn these settlers harvested their crops. As they stored away food for the coming winter, they took stock. yes, they had survived, but they had made seven times more graves than huts. Only three families remained unbroken.                                                                                                               

    Governor Bradford describes that time this way: The Lord sent them ... seasonable showers, and through His blessing caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time cconvenient, they also set apart a day of Thanksgiving."

    So the settlers invited their Wampanoag friends to join them and welcomed the food and game they brought along. Together, they feasted and rejoiced. Those early settlers, at least, thanked God, even while remembering their departed family members and friends.

    This scene strikes me as especially poignant this year, when financial losses seem to affect  most of us, and we're anxious. I think those settlers we call Pilgrims have much to teach us about turning our eyes to what remains, rather than being fixed on what is lost.

    What if we added up what's good and right and meaningful in our own lives? Suppose we, like the Pilgrims, leave our accumulated pain with the Lord and thank Him for His presence with us. Could we, like them, simply trust our future to Him?

    A beloved Bible verse fits every day, but especially at Thanksgiving.

Give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good, his love endures forever.     --Psalm 107:1

    That hard year was not the end of the Pilgrims' story. It was the beginning of a new chapter. That's worth considering, no matter what our age or our situation. 

    May you have a blessed Thanks-giving Day, and may you have family and friends to share it with! 

    Lenore

    What blessings are you thankful for? Your comments welcomed! 

 

Maybe you're richer than you think

    I grew up rich ... but I didn't know it. Maybe you did, too.

    Money was tight at our house all through my growing-up years. Frills were scarce, but my friends had none, either, so I considered that normal. Besides, most people we knew shared a similar life situation. More than I knew then, my father and mother shook hands with struggle every day. Through it all, they coped, mostly with a smile. I only knew that our family life revolved around the church my dad pastored, and people loved my parents.

    Like every child of every time, I remained unimpressed. 

    I knew my mom and dad loved each other, they loved us and they loved God. That was bedrock and never wavered, not even when my newborn brother died, or during my mom's illnesses. 

    I knew I could count on what they said. They told it like it was, even when I didn't want to hear.  

    By today's standards my parents and teachers were unenlightened. They never assured me my life would be wonderful. In fact, they said to expect life to be hard, because life was hard for everyone. But, they said, but ... life always would be worth the effort, worth the stumbles and failings and the starting over, and God is faithful. 

    When my husband and I met, we two advantaged kids fell hard. We married, reared our daughters, and coped with ... whatever. Through the predicted stumbles and starting overs, we held hands. As promised, God was faithful. Life was--and is--good. 

    These days who can escape the bad news? Like everyone else we track the financial ups and downs and like most people, do some quaking and a lot of praying. Then we smile at each other, grateful for life itself and each day we share. We remind each other of what's important: We are rich ... in all the ways that matter. God is good.

    How about you? How rich are you--in all the ways that matter?

    Take a few moments to inventory your fortune. Maybe your childhood memories hurt. Then leave it behind and concentrate on providing your own children with a legacy. May you be rich!

    Lenore

    Your comments welcomed!!

    

    

  

     

      

Before thinking too much is lost, take another look at your life

    We're living in a time when it seems all the news is bad, not to mention scary. Most people I know feel poorer, a lot or a little, and less sure of what their future holds. Some judge there's less to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

    So here's a reality check for all of us, a gentle reminder to re-evaluate our thinking.

    Yesterday I crossed paths with a casual friend whom I hadn't talked with for months. His face revealed the anguish in his heart as he told about his granddaughter, who m he always described as a talented teenage dancer and athlete. This girl, while playing the "safe sport" soccer, experienced  a freak accident. Great doctors, top-notch treatment, a loving and supportive family. Now the photo he shows pictures this beautiful young woman wearing leg braces, seated in a wheelchair. By definition she is a "quadriplegic incomplete," because she retains limited movement of her arms. That's her life ... for life, at least by medical predictions.

    My heart went out to him, of course. Maybe you know what else I was thinking: That could be one of ours! Oh, Lord, thank you that it wasn't! (Perhaps you just had the same thought.)

    That encounter was like the proverbial plank to the donkey's head, remindingng me what I truly value most in life: the people I love. So let's turn away from the haranguing and fear-talk that clamors all around. When we add up the totals, let's make another list. Instead of centering on what's missing in our lives, real or perceived, let's open our eyes to what is ... and give thanks.

    For a refresher course, read Psalm 103. I just did and was reminded how rich I really am.

    Lenore

    How about you? Your comments welcomed!

Here's a movie that's worth your time--and then some

    If the movie, "Fireproof," is still playing in a theater near you, don't miss it--and don't delay, because it probably won't last long.! My husband and I saw it recently, and it's a wonderful movie, set in contemporary times. We thought it to be high-quality, with realistic dialog, suspense, humor and a message.

    Kirk Cameron (you remember him from the sitcom "Growing Pains") plays the male lead, a local Fire Department captain. So you get some nice insights into life at a firehouse, too.

   Although the plot centers around a marriage, the wider story makes a lot of points about sustaining any friendship or family relationship. Best of all, this isn't a typical Hollywood production. Rather, it was written and produced by a church--one church, Sherwood Baptist, in Albany, GA. Many of the actors were volunteers from the congregation or the community. Screen credits listed food donations from individuals and restaurants, even babysitters. 

    So if you want a lift, search out "Fireproof," either in a theater or later, on DVD. You'll find it more than just a time-filler. I guarantee it's not one of those movies that sends you out of the theater muttering, "So what was that all about, anyway?"

    By the way, yes, there's some faith talk, but what there is naturally flows out of the story line and doesn't feel preachy. But there's a lot about life and living and loving, about turning troubled lives around. And we, at least, found it engrossing and left the theater smiling.

    Bet you will, too.

    Here's to learning while we live!

    Lenore

    Your comments welcomed!

How do you view your life?

    That's a question that never loses its relevance. Regardless of our age or stage in life, how much money we have or don't have, or whether or not we have children, that question fits. 

    More than anything else, our answer determines whether we describe ourselves as "happy" or "unhappy." Our answer sets the criteria for whether--in our own eyes--we're rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, liked or disliked, blessed or cursed.

    I once met an old woman who lived in one room in a rundown building and ate a meager diet. She invited me to look around her "lovely home," all the while describing herself as "rich" and "blessed." This vibrant, glowing woman of faith oozed contentment and joy out of every pore. Was she rich, or was she poor? You decide.

   No, she didn't live in a Third World country. She lived in metro Los Angeles, in a changing neighborhood that once was grand.

    I came away from that encounter vowing never to complain again or wish for "more."

    Have I? Of course. But when I'm wise enough to remember meeting Frieda, it brings me back to center. Then I realize that if I haven't liked my life lately, the problem is not my life. It's me.

   This much I've learned: At every moment of our life there's a positive side and a negative side. Every moment we decide which one we focus on.

   Here's to looking at what's good and right and true!

    Lenore

    Ever find this a struggle? Your comments welcomed!