The fruit of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the story of a people in search of a new beginning. In 1620, the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic hoping for freedom—to worship, to live without persecution, to begin again. They risked everything to gain the very gifts we often take for granted. Their first winter was a season of grief: half the community died. May their survival remind us that gratitude often grows out of hardship, not ease.

Thanksgiving is the story of the Wampanoag people, recovering from a catastrophic epidemic, who chose to help. Figures like Samoset and Tisquantum (Squanto) freely shared their knowledge, skill, and welcome. The holiday begins, historically, with an act of grace across cultures. May their hospitality prompt us to extend grace to our families, friends, and neighbors in similar fashion—especially to those who, like the Wampanoag, offer kindness even in their own seasons of loss.

Thanksgiving is the story of a shared table, an honest moment of shared humanity. For three days, more than 100 Pilgrims and Wampanoag ate, talked, hunted, and negotiated peace. Survival was a shared story, not an individual accomplishment. May their example teach us that it’s better to build bridges, not walls, in our communities.

Thanksgiving is the story of gratitude during times of national struggle: George Washington called for gratitude after the birth of a new nation. And Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863 during the Civil War, believing gratitude could steady a fractured people. May we extend gratitude to God this Thanksgiving for the birth and survival of America.

Thanksgiving is a day that invites repair and remembrance. May it long stand as a reminder of generosity across difference, a prompt for humility about our shared story with Native peoples, and an invitation to practice gratitude—not as nostalgia but as healing.