Let's Talk About...Pilgrims and Turkey

Ok. Do you remember when you first learned about Thanksgiving? It probably included the tale of Pilgrims sailing to America and befriending some Indians, after which they had a turkey feast in thanks for the Indians’ help surviving the winter.

Wow, that was a lot to unpack as a child.

In a nutshell, this song, sung to the tune “We Gather Together,” I learned in first grade summed up all I knew about Thanksgiving:

“The year 1620 the Pilgrims came over.

The good ship Mayflower brought them across the sea.

They landed at Plymouth Rock and then built up their houses.

At harvest time they started our Thanksgiving Day.”

That pretty much covered it.

Did you ever hear much about the Wampanoag tribe or the “Great Dying?” How about William Bradford, the leader of the Pilgrims? Or Ousamequin, the leader of the Wampanoag tribe? I recall a mention of someone named Squanto but it was never very clear who he was.

What I really remember learning was how to draw a turkey by outlining my hand.

My mom, a clever, pun-loving wordsmith who had a proclivity toward kitsch, decorated a bulletin board every month in our home which celebrated upcoming holidays and birthdays.

For the month of November, in addition to cute construction paper Pilgrims and the word “Thanksgiving” blazed across the top, she always included this ditty:

“Thanksgiving and turkey both start with a ‘T.’ They are two things that exactly suit me. So I know what it means when folks say to me that something or other suits them to a ‘T.’”

Where did she come up with that? I don’t know. But clearly Thanksgiving came down to turkey and a play on words.

As clever as that might be, it doesn’t quite do Thanksgiving justice, does it? We know there is much more to Thanksgiving than that.

Despite the lack of details about what actually happened in 1620, we all grew up to learn how to cook a giant, often bland, Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends who sometimes traveled long distances for that one meal.

But the meal isn’t the point either. Thanksgiving comes down to being together and giving thanks.

What is unique about Thanksgiving (as opposed to Christmas or birthdays) is that we all have an opportunity to gather without any material gain (except pounds).

We eat together, talk together, and reminisce. We stop everything we are doing to reunite, and we open our doors to new friends. It is so much more than a meal or a cute ditty. It is time to reflect on what we are grateful for.

We all have many things to be thankful for. And we must really reflect on thankfulness because part of the Thanksgiving tradition is to go around the Thanksgiving table and make each person recite, out loud, exactly what they are thankful for. As awkward as that may be, verbalizing gratitude is important.

At the top of most lists are families, friends, homes, food, and the sun. Then there are important blessings like health, clean water, and air. Then we get to the outliers like computers, Netflix, and a good pair of sunglasses.

It turns out Thanksgiving is a happily unexpected gift of community and reflection resulting from the Mayflower’s voyage across the ocean in 1620.

But let’s also remember those who might not have those things, or even a Thanksgiving table at all.

Among the many things for which I am thankful, I want to thank you for reading the Left Hand Valley Courier and my column.