THANKSGIVING….

My doctor is a Conservative….He met the mother of one of his daughters’ friends at a Scout meeting….He asked what her family was doing for Thanksgiving:

“OH, we don’t celebrate this holiday because of what America’s done to the indigenous people!”

He knew I’d like that, knowing my politics and how crazy this was…..I wish we could say “AMAZING!” but it’s not…people really do not get it.

SO, I offer up what I often do this Thanksgiving…The story of SQUANTO:

“Tisquantum (/tɪsˈkwɒntəm/; c. 1585 (±10 years?) – late November 1622 O.S.), more commonly known as Squanto (/ˈskwɒntoʊ/), was a member of the Patuxet tribe best known for being an early liaison between the Native American population in Southern New England and the Mayflower Pilgrims who made their settlement at the site of Tisquantum’s former summer village. The Patuxet tribe had lived on the western coast of Cape Cod Bay, but they were wiped out by an epidemic infection, likely brought by previous European explorers.

Tisquantum was kidnapped by English explorer Thomas Hunt who trafficked him to Spain, where he sold him in the city of Málaga. He was among a number of captives bought by local monks who focused on their education and evangelization. Tisquantum eventually traveled to England, where he may have met Pocahontas, a Native American from Virginia, in 1616–1617.^[1] He then returned to America in 1619 to his native village, only to find that his tribe had been wiped out by an epidemic infection; Tisquantum was the last of the Patuxets, and went to live with the Wampanoags.

The Mayflower landed in Cape Cod Bay in 1620, and Tisquantum worked to broker peaceable relations between the Pilgrims and the local Pokanokets. He played a key role in the early meetings in March 1621, partly because he spoke English. He then lived with the Pilgrims for 20 months, acting as an interpreter, guide, and advisor. He introduced the settlers to the fur trade and taught them how to sow and fertilize native crops; this proved vital, because the seeds which the Pilgrims had brought from England mostly failed.”

Z: How many natives, back in those very early years, were kidnapped…learned English….got back to America, and could teach the settlers how to start America?     To me, that’s a “GOD THING”.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL………..I’m a HUGE foodie and this Thanksgiving won’t reflect that for me because of circumstances, so if anybody has anything utterly fabulously delicious, let me know!!!

God bless you all…..I’M GRATEFUL FOR EACH OF YOU.   

Except Mustang.  HAHA!!

Love, Z