Happy Thanksgiving from the Brandon for Athens Committee
11-26-2009
Today, we gather together with family and friends to give thanks for our blessings and to celebrate an American tradition.
Nearly 380 years ago, a man named Squanto helped to bring the Native Americans and the Pilgrims together to celebrate at the Plymouth Plantation. The group of 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims joined together to feast after the first successful harvesting season, which came to be known as the “First Thanksgiving.”
Squanto, by history, was a grateful man whose pride helped to educate future generations on the importance of coexistence and friendship.
Squanto was vital to the survival of the Pilgrims, for the winter of 1620 had imposed hardships that they were not used to. Afterwards, Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to grow and fertilize crops, showed them the best land to catch fish and hunt, and served as a guide and translator.
Squanto didn’t have to be so generous; after all, he had been kidnapped numerous times and traded, and he had served as a slave to the British. It was by his nature, that he accepted the harsh reality that some of us act without understanding the effects of our own actions. He moved on, forgave those who lacked personal understanding, and helped to construct a day of remembrance that lives on hundreds of years after his death.
As we sit down today to eat our Thanksgiving meal with family and friends, let us give thanks to whomever we personally thank - God, no God, or many Gods - for giving us the opportunity to have land and shelter, food on our plates, friends by our side, and a family who believes wholeheartedly in our every step through the walk of life. We should never take these things for granted because within miles of the location that you eat your meal, there is an individual who wishes for the same opportunities. Poverty and hunger are not hundreds or thousands of miles away, tucked in a canyon next to the forest - it is a few houses down, or two blocks away. There are thousands of Athenians who need our help during these tough economic times. To the individuals who donated food to the needy or helped give hope to the hopeless, thank you for your public service.
Please join me also in honoring the thousands of United States military personnel who are serving in the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Iraq, and around the world; and join me in thanking them for their sacrifice. Also, to those who came before us, who fought to secure freedom and liberty for our country - thank you.
The Brandon for Athens Committee would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, God bless you, our city, and may God bless the United States of America.
11-26-2009
Today, we gather together with family and friends to give thanks for our blessings and to celebrate an American tradition.
Nearly 380 years ago, a man named Squanto helped to bring the Native Americans and the Pilgrims together to celebrate at the Plymouth Plantation. The group of 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims joined together to feast after the first successful harvesting season, which came to be known as the “First Thanksgiving.”
Squanto, by history, was a grateful man whose pride helped to educate future generations on the importance of coexistence and friendship.
Squanto was vital to the survival of the Pilgrims, for the winter of 1620 had imposed hardships that they were not used to. Afterwards, Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to grow and fertilize crops, showed them the best land to catch fish and hunt, and served as a guide and translator.
Squanto didn’t have to be so generous; after all, he had been kidnapped numerous times and traded, and he had served as a slave to the British. It was by his nature, that he accepted the harsh reality that some of us act without understanding the effects of our own actions. He moved on, forgave those who lacked personal understanding, and helped to construct a day of remembrance that lives on hundreds of years after his death.
As we sit down today to eat our Thanksgiving meal with family and friends, let us give thanks to whomever we personally thank - God, no God, or many Gods - for giving us the opportunity to have land and shelter, food on our plates, friends by our side, and a family who believes wholeheartedly in our every step through the walk of life. We should never take these things for granted because within miles of the location that you eat your meal, there is an individual who wishes for the same opportunities. Poverty and hunger are not hundreds or thousands of miles away, tucked in a canyon next to the forest - it is a few houses down, or two blocks away. There are thousands of Athenians who need our help during these tough economic times. To the individuals who donated food to the needy or helped give hope to the hopeless, thank you for your public service.
Please join me also in honoring the thousands of United States military personnel who are serving in the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Iraq, and around the world; and join me in thanking them for their sacrifice. Also, to those who came before us, who fought to secure freedom and liberty for our country - thank you.
The Brandon for Athens Committee would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, God bless you, our city, and may God bless the United States of America.
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