 Brownscombe, Jennie Augusta. The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth. 1914. Wikipedia.org. Web. 29 August 2014 | Many Good Thanks According to Mayflower Dreams, '"Many good thanks" is a Pilgrim common saying. This phrase means "Thanks a lot" (Petit 396). The Pilgrims were thankful many times, including during their 3-day Thanksgiving celebration with Native people in 1621. Like the Pilgrims, we also have been thankful at many times and in many places. If you would like to share ideas about Thanksgiving or another wonderful experience, you can do so on this blog page by clicking onto "Comments." Karen Petit will be showing some of this page's Many Good Thanks blog entries during upcoming Mayflower Dreams presentations and/or book signings. Thanks so much, and may God bless you! |
| Twentieth Century John Robinson Journals Dr. Karen Petit's grandfather, John H. Robinson (1908-1988), was a descendant of the pastor to the Pilgrims (Rev. John Robinson: 1575-1625). In the 1950's and 1960's, John H. Robinson wrote some journals. His entries included his thanks for being being blessed by God. He was able to travel on many wonderful trips, including one to Hawaii. John Robinson also was thankful for his family and for his job at the Rhode Island Yacht Club. The photo images in this blog section show a few pages from his journals. |  |
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Thanksgiving Message
Despite the many problems encountered by the Pilgrims, they were still thankful to God for the many blessings in their lives. This thankfulness is described in Jen Cowart's article about an interfaith "Thanksgiving Message 'Cultivating Gratitude.'"
According to Jen Cowart, in November 2013, the Cranston Interfaith Clergy Association and members of their congregations heard a guest speaker from Jerusalem: Rabbi Michael Klein-Katz. In addition to talking about the Pilgrims, Klein-Katz also spoke about a Harvard Medical School study of gratitude. Six methods of "living a grateful life" were mentioned: "Writing thank you notes to others, thanking others mentally by thinking of them, keeping a personal gratitude journal, counting one's blessings, praying and meditating."
More information about Thanksgiving and gratitude is available in Jen Cowart's article "Thanksgiving Message 'Cultivating Gratitude,'" which appeared in the Cranston Herald, cranstononline.com, on November 27, 2013. This article is still online at: http://cranstononline.com/stories/Cultivating-gratitude,87769?search_filter=thankful+and+god&content_&town_id=3&sub_
Despite the many problems encountered by the Pilgrims, they were still thankful to God for the many blessings in their lives. This thankfulness is described in Jen Cowart's article about an interfaith "Thanksgiving Message 'Cultivating Gratitude.'"
According to Jen Cowart, in November 2013, the Cranston Interfaith Clergy Association and members of their congregations heard a guest speaker from Jerusalem: Rabbi Michael Klein-Katz. In addition to talking about the Pilgrims, Klein-Katz also spoke about a Harvard Medical School study of gratitude. Six methods of "living a grateful life" were mentioned: "Writing thank you notes to others, thanking others mentally by thinking of them, keeping a personal gratitude journal, counting one's blessings, praying and meditating."
More information about Thanksgiving and gratitude is available in Jen Cowart's article "Thanksgiving Message 'Cultivating Gratitude,'" which appeared in the Cranston Herald, cranstononline.com, on November 27, 2013. This article is still online at: http://cranstononline.com/stories/Cultivating-gratitude,87769?search_filter=thankful+and+god&content_&town_id=3&sub_
Thanksgiving Poem:
A May Flower in November 1620
by Dr. Karen Petit
The flowers of May were blooming away
in summer's great warmth and fall's wintry air.
A petal broke off, went sailing astray,
into the wind, with a Separatist’s prayer.
It paused in the sky with the blue turning gray;
then continued its trip 'til wooden beams were near.
When one of them cracked, the petal did say:
“I fear for my life! This storm’s so unfair!"
"But I know, in this world, many are things unfixed."
"'cause I trust in my Lord, to Him I’ll pray.”
With prayers and repairs, the beam was soon fixed.
“I thank thee, Lord, for strengthening my 'May.'”
The voyage moved on; many problems eclipsed.
In November within a New World’s bay,
the flower became Mayflower in-mixed.
A May Flower in November 1620
by Dr. Karen Petit
The flowers of May were blooming away
in summer's great warmth and fall's wintry air.
A petal broke off, went sailing astray,
into the wind, with a Separatist’s prayer.
It paused in the sky with the blue turning gray;
then continued its trip 'til wooden beams were near.
When one of them cracked, the petal did say:
“I fear for my life! This storm’s so unfair!"
"But I know, in this world, many are things unfixed."
"'cause I trust in my Lord, to Him I’ll pray.”
With prayers and repairs, the beam was soon fixed.
“I thank thee, Lord, for strengthening my 'May.'”
The voyage moved on; many problems eclipsed.
In November within a New World’s bay,
the flower became Mayflower in-mixed.
Thanksgiving Bible Verses
- "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thes. 5:18 RSV).
- "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him" (Psalm 28:7 RSV).
- "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6 RSV).
- "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!" (1 Chron. 16:34 RSV).
- "Then we thy people, the flock of thy pasture, will give thanks to thee for ever; from generation to generation we will recount thy praise" (Psalm 79:13 RSV).
Copyright © Karen Petit 2014-2018. All Rights Reserved.
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